When the Line Blurs
by Jihino Tenshi
Summary: Sometimes the line between fantasy and reality can blur. Beast Boy remembers that even if things have looked bad before, the Titans have always pulled through in the end. What happens when things do not go according to this normal routine? COMPLETE
1. Prologue

Summary: Sometimes the line between fantasy and reality can become blurred. If memory serves him correctly, Beast Boy remembers that even if things have looked bad before, the Teen Titans have always pulled through in the end. To him, it's almost like television; the good guys win and the bad guys go to jail. So, what happens when things do not go according to this normal routine? Someone will have to bring him back to reality before what he sees as his personal 'daytime T.V. show' becomes a horror movie. (BBRae, implied RobSF)

**---**

**Prologue**

Lazily, one gloved thumb continually pressed the same button on the normally elusive remote, causing the channels on the large screen television to climb in number. Each program or commercial would remain onscreen for no more than a few seconds before the viewer moved on to the next one. A large yawn passed over his green lips as this process continued for several minutes on end, still not settling on any one particular station. Nothing seemed to distract him from his channel surfing, but that could possibly have been due to the loud volume of the television. Seeing as the rest of the tower's inhabitants were currently elsewhere, there were no objections to his manner of T.V. watching.

Letting out a very audible sigh, he exclaimed to no one in particular, "I'm so bored!" Flopping back onto the plush couch, he failed to cease flipping through all of the stations that they received in Titan Tower, despite his previous objection to himself.

Although his emerald eyes appeared to be glued to the screen, his thoughts were drifting. He did a mental check of the rest of the Titans' last known locations. Robin was training in the gym or conducting research, both of which he tended to do alone. This is not to say that he did not welcome the company of a certain alien teammate... Speaking of Starfire, she and Raven had ventured to the "mall of shopping", as she liked to put it. Of course, this was only after the empath had finished meditating. That only left Cyborg, who was more than likely making sure that every inch of his 'baby' was spotless. Oh well. As bored as he was, he was content to be watching T.V. for the time being.

At some point, the shape-shifter must have lost track of the time, seeing as how another figure soon walked into the room, hands over her ears due to all of the noise being generated from the large television. Calmly, she walked toward the couch, well aware that she was noticed by the only other person in the room. Her past several years on the team had taught her that asking for the volume to be lowered was rather useless. Instead, she simply levitated the remote from her teammate's hand to her own before he realized what was happening. Wordlessly, she turned the volume down before returning the object to Beast Boy and heading into the kitchen area.

Finally taking notice of the other presence in the room, he peeled his gaze away from the television and looked toward the violet-haired girl. He made no move to remark about what she had just done, but part of him did want to strike up a conversation for lack of anything else to do. "So," he started leisurely, waiting until he knew she had heard him until he continued. Although she made to movement to acknowledge him, he finished. "... you back already?"

Raven poured water into a kettle before gently setting it onto the stove. As she was doing this, she replied, "We were out for several hours, if you must know." Her voice was monotone, as was usual in her case. While she waited for the water to heat, she turned her head slightly to look over at him. "It seems that you have spent those hours rotting your mind away."

His green features soon contorted themselves into a mild glare in the goth's general direction when he heard her response. "Oh yeah... well..." There was a long, drawn out pause, as though he could not wrap his mind around a decent comeback for her remark.

As he tried to think up something to say, she merely raised an eyebrow in waiting. After a few minutes of silence, she finally said, "Don't try too hard."

This only made him harden his glare, which really just gave him more of a frustrated expression. It took another minute or two before he replied to her, his voice softer and more of a grumble than anything else. "... I'm not rotting my mind away..."

"That's what too much T.V. does to you, as I have mentioned before," she answered a bit more off-handedly than her earlier comments.

Silence once again reigned, until the kettle started whistling loudly on the stove. In her routine manner, she turned off the appliance before pouring the steaming water into a waiting cup and adding a tea bag. Replacing the kettle on a cool section of the stove, she took a seat by the counter and gingerly began to dip the tea bag up and down in the water to distribute the flavor faster. Feeling someone's eyes on her, she glanced back toward the changeling on the couch, only to see that he was still looking at her with the same expression as before.

Even though it was not in her manner to do so, Raven relented slightly. "If you insist on watching T.V., at least watch something educational. Who knows, it may actually help you." With that, she simply returned her attention to the warm liquid in front of her.

"What are you getting at?", the male Titan asked with one eyebrow slightly raised. When she did not respond, he continued, "Just so you know, I don't spend all my time watching T.V..." There was a few moments' pause. "... just most of it," he finished with an almost goofy smile.

Returning the hot cup to the saucer after taking a few sips, the empath reached for a book that she had left on the counter earlier. Opening it to where she had left off, she placed it in front of her so that she could drink and read at the same time. "You do realize that you're investing most of your energy in something that is fake?" It seemed as though her question was more of an afterthought, as she then indulged herself in the book that lay in front of her.

Seeing he had lost her attention for the time being, Beast Boy turned back around with a quiet "humph." With his arms firmly crossed, he returned to his channel surfing, not bothering to answer his teammate's question.

Note: That's it for now! I hope you enjoyed it. Please, read and review! (Also, the romance will start to show itself in the first chapter, so don't worry!)


	2. Ch 1 His Thoughts

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, still plain and simple.

Author's Note: Sorry that it took me so long to update! Being out of town and sick at the same time doesn't give me a lot of time to write. I try to at least update my profile to let everyone know how the next chapter is coming, for future reference. Thank you so much to those of you who reviewed! I mean it! It really helped to motivate and encourage me to continue

**Chapter 1 - His Thoughts**

Several hours after his brief conversation with his unemotional teammate, the changeling found himself sitting on the rocky shoreline just outside of the tower, oblivious to most of the noise around him. This was a place where he came to think. He had only been there for about half an hour so far, having left the common room when some of the other Titans had come in. Robin had insisted that he needed to watch the news for some reason or another, so he abandoned his channel surfing for something that appeared to be even less productive. This was only after placing an order for dinner, since Cyborg had suggested ordering out for pizza. (The truth of the matter was that Starfire had offered to cook, but none of the others knew what they would have been in for had they agreed to it.) Thus, Beast Boy found himself contemplating the only meaningful interaction he seemed to have had that entire afternoon.

Contrary to popular belief, or what he thought to be popular belief, he did take time out of his schedule to actually sit and think on a regular basis. Today, there were several thoughts that were swirling around and around in his head. Most of them were questions without answers, which seemed to happen a lot when he talked with Raven. She appeared to have a natural ability to make him question himself or his actions. Exactly why this was so, he was almost entirely uncertain. There was a lingering, suppressed voice in the back of his mind that provided an answer, but he refused to listen at that point in time. He was better off wondering about the subject than wrestle with an idea that lay within his subconscious and was not yet ready to be exposed.

There had been a point where the changeling wished he had not started up a conversation with the empath, then he would not be subject to his current feeling of doubt. Initially, he had every intention of spending the day outside, where he was now, but then the television became more appealing. If he had listened to himself earlier, there would not have been any basis for some of Raven's comment, or for that matter, any of her words. Nonetheless, it had all happened and therefore he was forced to contemplate everything. This force came in the form of his own previous worries, which had been brought to the front of his mind due to his teammate. Somehow, it had all begun with the television.

'_Perhaps, I am spending too much time in front of the big screen. Perhaps, Raven was right about how I invest my time. Perhaps... Perhaps, I am thinking too much..._' Beast Boy bit his bottom lip in thought, hoping that his pizza would come soon so that he did not have to endure anymore confusion. That is what he felt right then. Confusion. He did not understand how or why, but for some reason, his mind kept going right back to one subject. Trying to stop the cycle only proved futile. Her words would not leave him.

–

The sliding doors to the common room parted, only to close once more as a teenage red-head breezed through. She was holding several boxes of pizza atop the palm of her uplifted left hand. Allowing her emerald gaze to sweep the room, a puzzled expression spread across her bronzed features. "Where is Beast Boy?", she asked the other occupants of the room, although it was directed to noone in particular. "I have not seen our friend since we first called for these pizzas."

Looking up from his position on the curved sofa, the Boy Wonder gave her a slight shrug of his shoulders. "He hasn't been back in here since then. Maybe he's in his room."

"He's outside," the cloaked girl spoke up from her seat on the opposite side of the couch, book in hand. When she realized that she had the attention of her teammates, she elaborated, "That is what he said when he left."

"Then I will go and inform him of the arrival of our dinner," Starfire announced enthusiastically as she placed the boxes onto the counter, upon which Cyborg began opening them to find out which one was which.

As the alien female left the large room, Robin placed the remote back down on the coffee table after turning off the large screen television. He had been watching several different news stations for the past half hour looking for something. Just anything. With an exasperated sigh, the leader of the Titans rose from his seat and headed toward the counter where his partially mechanical friend was already devouring some of the food. "There has to be a glitch somewhere," he murmured to himself.

"A g'itch 'ere?", Cyborg questioned, his words clearly muffled from his mouth full of pizza.

"In the alert system," the masked teen answered as he took a slice for himself. "It has been too quiet for something not to have happened."

"And here I thought I was the one who was pessimistic," Raven commented as she joined the two males at the counter. "We only recently finished a few tough cases. It is possible to have a lull every now and then."

Before the Boy Wonder had a chance to answer, Cyborg cut in, "There is not a glitch in the system. _I_ would know about it." He glared mildly at Robin, having then felt the need to respond to his teammate's previous words.

Taking a bite of his pizza slice, the black-haired youth sighed inwardly. '_Something just doesn't seem right..._'

–

'_Why do I care so much about what she thinks?_' It was the question that had been running through his head for the past five minutes or so. He dared not provide himself with the answer that lingered in the back of his mind, although it did present itself as the truthful one. The shape-shifter refused to even think the words, let alone say them aloud. Hoping to change his train of thought, he grabbed a few small rocks that lay at his feet and began to skip them across the water.

After a couple of minutes had passed, his pointed ears suddenly perked up at the sound of approaching footsteps. He turned his head so that he could see who it was. "Oh, hi, Star," the changeling greeted his friend quietly.

"I have come to tell you that the pizza has been delivered, if you wish to join us for some," she replied with a slightly concerned expression. There was a moment's pause before she continued, "Are you feeling alright? You seem to have dispensed of your jokes since this morning."

"I'm fine, really. I just needed some time to think," he answered her in a sincere tone, knowing that she would not be one to tease him about his last sentence.

"So, you will come in and partake of the food with us?" Her eyes were touched with a look of hope at her most recent question.

Giving her a small smile, he nodded, "In a minute."

"Very well then," Starfire grinned back before turning to re-enter the large building that served as her home.

Once she had left, Beast Boy let out a barely audible sigh and rose to his feet. As he dusted himself off, he allowed himself one last glance over the calm water before following in his teammate's footsteps. Anymore thinking and he would go crazy. Figuratively speaking, of course.

–

When the green Titan entered the common room, he noticed everyone already seated at the counter and eating. Wordlessly, he made his way over to them and got himself a few slices of one of the pizzas. (That is, the one without any meat toppings.) Looking up, he saw that the others' gazes were directed toward him. He paused in mid-bite, "'hat?"

"Nothin', man," Cyborg replied, his mouth free from food at the moment. "You're just quiet." He paused and a hint of smirk formed on his features, "Sure you're feeling alright?"

Beast Boy sent a glare in his direction. "Why is it that everyone thinks something's wrong with me when I choose to be quiet?" His tone was more indignant than anything else.

"Because we rarely see you with your mouth closed," the violet-haired girl remarked without missing a beat.

Placing his pizza down on a plate that he had just grabbed, he proceeded to fold his arms in front of his chest. "Ha ha, very funny," he replied sarcastically. A few moments passed before he resumed. "I just have a lot on my mind right now," he offered up more truthfully, hoping to bring the topic to a close.

It worked, at least for the time being, seeing as how the others chose to drop the subject after his last sentence.

–

Note: Thank you to everyone for reading! Please review if you have the time, as it does help me write faster, even if it doesn't seem like it... The romance will become more noticeable soon, and so will the plot. Trust me, there is one!


	3. Ch 2 Her Thoughts

Disclaimer: Me no own Teen Titans.

Notes: Constructive criticism wanted! However, no flames, please. Thanks to all who reviewed! It keeps me writing

"Words"

"_Thoughts_"

**Chapter 2: Her Thoughts**

Since dinner had ended, the seemingly unemotional empath had been up on the roof of Titan Tower. She was meditating, not at all an unusual activity for her. However, there was a slight difference this time. Normally, she wore no expression when in her trance-like state, but this time she had a slight frown on her lips. It was as if there was something very troubling on her mind. She rarely, if ever, spoke her inner thoughts aloud, so it was not out of character for her to have kept any concerns she had to herself. The only instance where she really voiced any worries were when they dealt with a crime or case the team was dealing with at the time. Seeing as the current issue failed to fall into that category, she kept it to herself, as she preferred to do.

None of the others seemed to notice anything out of the ordinary with her that evening. They were too caught up in Beast Boy's sudden decision to take on a quieter role. All the better for her. The less they noticed about her right now, the less questions she would have to answer. She did not want to satisfy any curiosity they might have. Not now. The Titan found that she already had enough to deal with within her own mind. That is why she had come up to the roof in the first place, to be alone with her thoughts.

As of late, Raven had begun to observe what she believed to be suspicious behavior from several of her emotions. It was not that they were acting altogether differently from how their names implied they should act, but it was as if they were keeping something from her. How they could do this, she was uncertain. They were her emotions, in her mind. Secrets could not easily be kept from her when it concerned them... could they? It appeared they were trying to, whether or not they could. Still, the young Titan thought she had a good idea about what they were attempting to hide, or rather, who they were attempting to hide. A new emotion was lurking about her mind. At least, she thought it was new, but she had yet to be able to identify it. The other Ravens had not leaked to her who it was, but she intended to find out.

As composed as the empath acted right then, it was hard to tell anything was bothering her. This "new" presence was disconcerting, in a way. She thought she would at least be aware of any major differences within her own mind. Somehow or other, the change had been so subtle at first that nothing had called her attention to it. She kept turning the possibilities over and over again in her head, but nothing seemed to surface that would help her figure out what was going on. It would not have been all that troubling if it were not for the fact that keeping her emotions in check was not so crucial to controlling her powers. This is what made her want to meditate, especially after dinner.

It had been noticeably different to her than most times, and this was not simply because of the changeling's silence. (Why he kept re-entering her thoughts over the past several weeks was something she still refused to admit to herself.) There was nothing unusual about the way the other Titans were behaving. What was different had been herself. For some reason, Raven had found herself taking several glances of her green teammate. Of course, she had managed to at least slightly convince herself that it was because of their conversation that afternoon and then his quietness that followed. Regardless, her own actions bothered her in a way that she could not quite explain, or chose not to explain. Either way, it only added to the many questions that were clouding her mind.

Just as she was beginning to feel her thoughts going in circles, she was jerked out of her trance by the opening of the roof door. It had not been that loud, but being slightly on edge due to the nature of her thoughts, it caught her attention. Opening her violet eyes, Raven turned her head toward the source of the sound to see who it was. She forced herself to keep the mild frown from disappearing, not wanting to let on that her mind had been on the figure in the doorway for at least the past several minutes. Although, she insisted to herself that he was just indirectly on her mind.

"Hey, Raven," the shape-shifter greeted his teammate as he left the doorway and walked toward her.

As he moved closer, she did allow herself to notice that he had grown in the past few years. If she remembered correctly, he was now a few inches or so taller than she was. Focusing back on his words, she replied, "I was trying to meditate. Why do you want?" It was not like it was unlike her to be rude every now and then.

Overlooking the tone in her voice, he continued on his path and took a seat on the roof's edge, feet dangling listlessly over it. "Just wondering..." His voice trailed off there, not finishing his train of thought.

"Wondering what?" Raven questioned impatiently, one eyebrow slightly raised above the other. She did not want to seem overly interested, so she settled for acting more or less irritated that she had been interrupted.

"Why you are acting differently," he replied easily, or so it appeared.

She turned her gaze away from him before asking, "What makes you say that?"

His shoulders rose and fell in a slow shrug before he spoke, "Well, since when have you ever been concerned about how I spend my time? ... and what was so interesting about me at dinner?"

Raven remained silent for the following several seconds before looking back over at Beast Boy. "It was unusual for you to be so quiet," she finally said in a matter-of-fact manner.

Frowning slightly, he made a dissatisfied expression. "Yeah, but what about..." He was cut off when she abruptly stood up, wordlessly letting him know that the conversation was over.

"I told you I was trying to meditate. It seems my room would be a better place," she spoke over her shoulder as she walked through the open doorway. In another second, she had disappeared completely.

The changeling watched her go with an unreadable look in his emerald eyes. Then, with a sigh of exasperation, he turned to watch the sun finish setting. It was better than following her and thereby bringing her wrath upon him.

–

Closing the door behind herself, the empath continued into her room and over to her dresser, where her mirror lay as though waiting for her. Picking it up, she took a minute or so to study it before gazing into it intently. The next moment she found herself looking around at the expanse of her mind. She knew which of her emotions she needed to seek out, but where to find her was a better question.

"Hiya, Raven!"

Cringing inwardly at the far-too-chipper voice, the Titan slowly turned to see a copy of herself in a pink cloak standing a few feet away from her. "Hi, Happy," her voice sounded less than pleased. "Have you seen Knowledge?"

"Nope!" Happy grinned widely and rocked back and forth on her feet, obviously hiding something. "But I know what you want to ask her!"

Sending her a mild glare, Raven then asked, "And how do you know that?"

The pink-cloaked emotion giggled, "Because, silly, I am a part of you!" Her smile widened knowingly. "Oh, and I have a message for you from her... sort of!"

"Sort of?", Raven pressed, although she would rather have just walked off to find the other emotion herself. Happy would probably just follow her if she did, anyway.

"Well, Timid talked to Knowledge but she didn't want to give you the message herself because she's... well... you know, timid!" Happy finished, still grinning like an idiot in Raven's opinion.

"Yes, and the message...?" She was growing impatient, and it was plainly showing in her tone of voice.

"Oh, well, Timid said that Knowledge said to tell you that she was not going to tell you what you want to know. You have to find that out for herself!" When Happy had finished, she noticed that the message had not been all that well received by Raven.

"So then, Timid must know what I wanted to ask. Perhaps I should just ask her," the blue-cloaked Titan replied, violet gaze slowly sweeping the landscape to see if she saw the other emotion.

"Nuh uh," Happy piped up cheerfully, ever the enthusiast. "Bravery was there, too, and she warned Timid not to tell you anything, either!"

A frown creased Raven's features slightly, wondering why the other found this so amusing. "And I suppose this is funny too you because you already know as well?"

"Yep!" There was not a delay in the positive emotion's response nor was there a change in her smiling expression.

Crossing her arms in front of her chest, the empath glared more harshly at Happy. "So, who is she?" The way in which it was said warned of her growing frustration.

Giggling, the pink-cloaked figure began to twirl in numerous circles while saying, "My lips are sealed!" Coming to an abrupt halt, she turned to grin once more at Raven. "Although, I will tell you that it is good to have her around!"

Letting out a sigh in exasperation, the female Titan thought to herself, "_That is not much help. She likes almost everyone..._" Looking up toward the other, she asked aloud, "Do you know where she is?"

"She was around earlier," Happy said honestly, "but I don't think she wants to show herself yet."

"Just great," Raven murmured before turning to leave.

"Bye bye!", her emotion chirped, arm waving wildly above her head.

The blue-cloaked figure did not respond, and soon she had vanished once again into the confines of her room.

"_She was not of much help,_" she thought to herself, flopping down onto her bed. The only purpose the trip into her mind had served was to frustrate her more. "_They know I have my suspicions, but they won't tell me anything..._" Sighing to herself, she rolled onto her side and allowed her eyes to close. She would not go to sleep, for there was still too much on her mind for that. Instead, she would allow her thoughts to do a bit of wandering and hopefully come to some kind of useful conclusion.

–

Night quietly came to Jump City, or so it started that way. However, in a darkened alleyway, next to an abandoned building, amidst the trash piled around the structure, laid a body covered in dark clothing. Visible on the exposed flesh were multiple stab wounds, but the most likely cause of death was the cut along the pale skin of the neck. It would not be too long before the corpse was found, since the building beside it had just caught fire.

Perhaps those who discovered the body would blame the fire, but it was unlikely. The fire had been just to get attention. The killer wanted people to know that someone had died... but why?

–

Within Titans' Tower, the alarm was sounding throughout the building, calling together the five member team and alerting them to the situation at hand.

It had begun.

–

- Or Intelligence, either one

Note: Hoped you all enjoyed that! I should have the next chapter out pretty soon, before Wednesday is my goal. Please R&R!


	4. Ch 3 First Blood

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Teen Titans.

Notes: I have decided to individually thank all of my reviewers, but that will be at the end of the chapter. This installment will be a little gory and may be a bit faster paced than the others. Also, I apologize for the length between updates. I had fourth teeth pulled and have been unable to do much for the past several days. I hope the wait was worth it... This chapter is dedicated to my friend who acted as my "sounding board" without letting me reveal any of the secrets about the plot. You know who you are!

"Words"

"_Thoughts_"

Chapter 3 - First Blood

Fortunately for the nearby buildings, it did not take the Titans long to arrive on the scene of the fire. Unfortunately for them, the fire had already managed to spread to another adjacent building. A stray thought did enter some of their minds. Why had they been called on to put out a fire? It was not that they minded doing so, especially since it was endangering the lives of those who lived in the neighborhood. The truth was that they wondered what had happened to the city's fire department. Perhaps it was simply because they were able to get there faster, seeing as the building was located in a community close by the shoreline. That train of thought was gone as quickly as it had come. They had a job to do.

There were two tasks that needed done; put out the fire and see if there were any people trapped in either building. One, of course, was abandoned, but that did not necessarily mean that there was no one inside. It could still have served as a shelter for those on the street, and, therefore, could not be overlooked. They had to stop the fire from spreading, and fast.

Robin did not waste a second upon their arrival. Jumping off his bike, he immediately began giving out orders, "Raven, Beast Boy, take a building and put out the fire! Cyborg, the one on the right is about to collapse, scan it for any people! Starfire, help Cyborg! I'll check the other building!" As soon as their order left his mouth, each Titan raced to follow it. They did not need to hear his patented phrase, as it would only be wasting another moment.

"Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos!" Black energy flowed from Raven's hands and swelled around a nearby fire hydrant, tearing it from its place on the ground. As the water burst forth from the hole, she used more of her power to redirect its flow onto the raging fire of the teetering structure. She tried to get the flames extinguished as fast as she could without having it collapse, in case there were still people alive in there.

The changeling suddenly shifted into a large elephant and used his trunk to knock over another fire hydrant. As quickly as he could, he began to fill the long trunk with water and spray it onto the burning building. He repeated this process many times, trying to hurry while at the same time making sure to be efficient at what he was doing.

Cyborg stood nearby Raven, making sure to stand clear of the water flow as well as the dancing flames. He watched his scanner carefully, glancing back and forth between that and the building in front of him. He did it a second time to double check his findings before shaking his head in Starfire's direction. "There's noone in there! Go help Robin!"

Nodding to her teammate, Starfire flew off toward the other building, pulling her communicator out as she went. Flipping the top open, she waited for a picture of the Boy Wonder to appear. The leader of the Titans came into view a few brief moments later. "Cyborg has no need of my assistance," she said in a rushed tone. "Have you located anyone in need of saving?"

A quick shake of his head informed her of his negative response without voicing it. "Not yet, but there are more floors. Take the top two and I'll get the bottom two!" After the words left his mouth, he closed the communicator, not waiting for her response. Covering his mouth with his cape to decrease the amount of smoke inhalation, he continued with his search.

Shoving her communicator away, she immediately flew into an open window on the top floor. The smoke was heavy and blinding, but the amount of flames was slowly reducing, thanks to Beast Boy. Holding her breath, she wove in and out of the fire, searching for any signs of life. The heat was immense and sweat began to drip from her brow. She ignored it for the time being and went on with what she had to do.

Outside, the other female Titan had increased the intensity with which she was spraying the building. With no one inside, the faster the fire was put out, the less chance there was of it spreading to any other nearby structures.

Moving slightly from where he stood beside Raven, Cyborg began to get a reading on something off to the side of the building, but it was too faint to be much of anything. Nonetheless, he figured it would be a good idea to check it out. "There seems to be something over here, but I can handle it!"

This is what went on for another several minutes, and during that time, the fire department and police arrived. Seeing the nearby hydrants not fit for their use, they resolved to go in and search for any survivors. It was then that Robin burst forth from the smoking doorway. He carried with him two children, all three looking as though they had inhaled a great deal of smoke. Next, Starfire suddenly flew out of a window on the third floor, a dog in one arm and grasping the shirts of two adult females in the other. Both Titans set the survivors down on the ground across the wide street, a safe distance away from the fire.

"I believe there is still someone left inside, Robin," the alien girl spoke hurriedly.

The Boy Wonder simply nodded and watched as the Tamaranian disappeared back into the burning building. He chose to stay by the group they had just rescued and explain to the authorities what was currently underway. Meanwhile, the paramedics who had arrived began attending to those that Robin and Starfire had already rescued. The flames were quickly being put out, although it was taking a decent amount of time.

A loud cracking sound was heard, followed shortly by another. Within the next few moments, the entire rickety structure crumbled to the ground. The pile of rubble still stood about a story high, but it only took Raven a couple more minutes to put out the lingering flames. Since that fire was taken care of, she turned her attention to helping the green elephant extinguish the fire in the other building. Once that was done, the empath summoned a little more of her energy and replaced the hydrants from where they had been thrown, successfully halting the water flow.

The red-headed Titan soon emerged from the uppermost level, carrying a middle-aged male with her. Starfire landed gracefully, setting the man down nearby the paramedics. "He was the last, I believe," she informed her leader. Looking back toward the other side of the street, she noticed that now only a smoking structure stood, blackened by past flames. They had succeeded in stopping the fire from spreading, as well as saving the lives of those who had been trapped. A smile touched her bronzed features as she turned to look at Robin and asked, "We are victorious, yes?"

"It seems that way," he replied, appearing to be a bit distracted. Behind his mask, his eyes were sweeping the scene in front of him.

"Is something the matter, Robin?", Starfire questioned, a hint of concern in her tone.

"Where's Cyborg?", came his reply. As if to answer his inquiry, his communicator suddenly beeped at his side. Whipping it out, he flipped open the top and saw a picture of his aforementioned teammate come into view.

"Robin," the half-robot's voice was filled with urgency, "y'all better come around the side. I found something you'll wanna see." Ending the transmission, Cyborg looked back down at the body that was in front of him. It had taken him a minute to locate it due to all of the trash and smoke that filled the area. This was not something he had expected to see. Murders were not all that common in Jump City due to the presence of the Teen Titans, especially killings of this kind. Most of them were accidental in that it was a robbery gone wrong or a high speed chase ending when a civilian would be in the wrong place at the wrong time. What lay before him was an unusual sight for their city.

The other four members of the Teen Titans arrived within seconds of each other, each coming to an abrupt halt upon seeing why Cyborg had called them over. Starfire covered her mouth with her hand and backed up a few steps. This meant she was partially hiding behind Robin, who stood silently with an almost stunned expression on his face. Beast Boy came around the other side of the masked Titan, eyes widening in irrepressible shock. The last Titan was the only one who made any noise at all. Raven stood beside her green teammate and allowed a sharp gasp to pass over her barely parted lips.

Pale, twisted limbs stuck out at odd angles from pieces of dark clothing. At least, the flesh would have been pale if it were not for the burns that charred the skin of the young female. However, no one even thought to suggest that the fire had been the cause of murder. Sure, it was a plausible suggestion that she had jumped through the window only to have later passed out from smoke inhalation, except for one thing. Actually, except for a number of things. Stab wounds littered her body, enough so that any flesh that had not been burned was instead covered with dried blood. The cut across the throat was the obvious cause of death. Bruises marred her once delicate facial features, which looked as though the victim had been wearing heavy amounts of makeup. All in all, none felt the gruesome sight could be accurately described in words.

Several moments passed before any one of them dared to break the silence. "This was no amateur," the Boy Wonder remarked, his tone serious. "The way the killer slit the throat, exposing a main artery."

"The fire was only to draw attention, otherwise it might have been days before the body was discovered," Cyborg noted, voicing a thought that was on the others' minds.

"But why would someone do something so horrible?", the Tamaranian asked, finally moving her hand away from her mouth.

"I don't know, Starfire," Robin replied, still studying the body, "but it would be best to tell the police and have their forensics experts examine the body." He turned to head back toward the front of the building but then paused. "Cyborg, did you find any identification?"

"No need," the cloaked Titan spoke up for the first time. It took her a moment before she continued, her tone quiet, "I know her. She works... worked at the café I go to."

The leader nodded and once again headed away from where the body lay, several of the Titans following him. However, Beast Boy stayed where he was. He had been the only one to not say a word throughout the past several minutes, and he still found himself unable to speak. It was not as if he had never seen a dead body before... He suddenly shook his head, shaking past images from his mind. The changeling had tried to forget those instances, although they were a part of his past. Nonetheless, this was somehow different for him. Everything right then felt so surreal, like it was all some horribly bad dream.

"Beast Boy!" His ears perked up slightly at the sound of Robin calling to him.

Forcing himself to move, he dashed off to where the others were standing. "What?"

"Another fire. It's at the wharf," the masked Titan replied in a rushed manner, "I need you and Raven to go put it out. You can get there faster than the fire trucks. The rest of us will finish up here. Go!"

With a quick nod, the shape-shifter took to the sky in the form of a falcon and flew in the direction of a growing pillar of smoke, Raven following a mere few feet behind him.

–

On the far outskirts of Jump City, there stood what looked to be a rundown motel. A group of men sat inside, gathered around an old television set. They were a loud bunch, many of whom were poorly groomed. Empty liquor bottles and cigarette butts littered the floor beneath their feet, but they did not seem to mind in the least. They were too busy focusing on the T.V. and mocking whatever was on the screen to really care about the state of their living quarters.

However, all went disturbingly quiet when the front door creaked open slowly. A man, who looked to be in his middle to late thirties, walked in and took a seat in one of the empty chairs. His dark brown hair was matted against his head by sweat and there was a tired expression in his equally dark brown eyes. One hand was hidden within the folds of his denim jacket, and when he pulled it out, he revealed a bloodied knife with a soiled piece of clothing wrapped around the blade. Shoving it toward the man on his right, he ordered, "Clean it." His command was immediately followed.

The television suddenly caught his attention. It was a news station covering the story of two fires and two murders. A smirk spread across his thin lips, "Those fools. They won't find anything, right?" At the question, he shot a cold and calculating look at the other men in the small room.

"Right, sir," the one sitting directly across from him answered, his voice slightly shaky. "The fires should cover up most of the evidence, and what's left, should leave them guessing."

"-If- they find anything, that is," another quickly added in, feeling uneasy from the sudden fierce expression in the first man's brown eyes.

"Good cover," the brown-haired man replied sarcastically, "but I do agree." Standing somewhat abruptly, he headed slowly over to the crooked stairs that were positioned in the corner of the room. He paused, "Of course, you do realize that this is still just child's play." With that, he continued on his way.

"He's too cocky so early in the game," said the one who had just reentered the room with a clean knife.

"But he did get the job done," answered another, slouching heavily in his chair. "That's what matters at this stage."

The first shrugged as he placed the knife down on an old wooden table, "I suppose..."

–

By the time Raven and Beast Boy returned to the tower, the other three Titans were already there, gathered in the common room. Robin was flipping through several news stations and failed to look up when the two walked in. The alien female was in the kitchen, slowly stirring her "pudding of sadness" with a downcast expression on her features. Cyborg sat on the couch, several feet away from the masked leader. It was he who looked up when the sliding doors opened.

"We saw the news," he informed them in a tone that let on what he meant. There had been another murder. The difference was that this time the girl had been strangled to death before being left beside a burning store. She was found with stab wounds as well as bruises around her throat. Nonetheless, it was fortunate that no one else had been injured in the second fire.

Raven moved toward the kitchen, simply nodding at her teammate's comment. She needed a cup of herbal tea to calm her nerves, which were quite frayed from the night's events.

"It was too soon after the first to be some type of copycat murder," the Boy Wonder spoke up, eyes still glued to the large screen in front of him. "It appears to be the same person. Both fires were to get attention and both victims had multiple stab wounds ."

"Are you suggesting that we are dealing with a serial killer?", the cloaked female questioned, setting the kettle down on the stove.

"From the looks of it," Robin answered honestly, his voice quiet.

"It still seems so unreal," the changeling murmured to himself, still a bit shaken from all that had happened. Slowly, he chose to take a seat on the opposite end of the couch. Why had it affected him so much? After all, he dealt with evil on an almost daily basis. Why was this so different? A sigh passed over his lips, intent on staying silent for the time being.

–

Note: I know I already described the state of the first body in the previous chapter, but I restated it to explain how the Titans saw it... in more detail. Oh, and Raven did inform the authorities of the identity of the victim, I was just focusing on Beast Boy at that point in time. So far, just a small bit of information about the killer. There is much more to be learned... Now, on to the reviewers!

**TDG3RD** - Thank you for your reviews! And, good guess about the emotion ... but it would be just too easy for Raven to accept it just yet... Glad you like the fic!

**BolenPUCR** - Yeah, I sit in front of the T.V. a lot, too... especially since I've been immobile for the past couple of days because of the surgery... Actually, watching T.V. did help with some of my ideas. Hope you enjoyed the update and thanks for reviewing!

**ShelsSMG** - Hope the updates aren't taking too long for ya... I really am trying to keep 'em coming. Thanks for reviewing!

**chocolate is a vegetable** - Thank you, and I'm glad you think so BB/Rae is my favorite pairing, so no need to worry! Thank you for reviewing!

**GizmoBunny** - Thanks, I was worried at points in time about the flow... Glad to know it came out alright. Thanks for the review!

**twistedpaperclip** - Glad you think so. I am working hard to try and keep them in character, to the best of my ability... Hope I'm still doing okay. I will probably hold off to the middle chapters as well, but it will end up driving me insane as well... Thanks for the review!

Please R&R!


	5. Ch 4 Don't Remind Me

Disclaimer: Don't own Teen Titans. There, I said it.

Note: I actually did research for this chapter... although it may not seem like it until the next chappie.

**Chapter 4 - Don't Remind Me**

It was not until early the next morning that Robin decided to pursue the case in detail. His reason? Two of the Titans had not returned until the early morning hours, both looking extremely drained of energy. The whole team needed rest if they were going to get this case wrapped up as soon as possible. However, that did not mean he let them sleep in at all, that would be a waste of time in his eyes. Yet, three of his friends were already awake by the time he reached the common room. The Tamaranian appeared to have had a hard time sleeping, the circles under her normally sparkling eyes being a dead giveaway. There had been no pun intended in that thought. Cyborg may have managed to get enough sleep to avoid looking drowsy, but this time of day could still be considered early for him. The empath was already brewing a morning cup of herbal tea to help awaken her senses.

Hearing the doors slide open behind him, the masked Titan turned to see Beast Boy sluggishly make his way over toward the counter. His eyes were still clouded with sleep, but he somehow managed to look alert at the same time. The changeling's thin frame was slouched so that he appeared to be the height he had been several years ago, and yet his pointed ears seemed to twitch at the smallest of sounds. Something was definitely up with him; this had been true since the previous afternoon. Last night's events had only added to his odd behavior. The Boy Wonder wanted to inquire as to the cause of it, but he had a hunch that he would only get silence in reply. Better not to waste the energy.

"I'm going downtown," he voiced, getting the attention of the other four teens, "to see if I can find out anything about last night that we don't know."

"In other words, research," Cyborg added, stuffing a few eggs into his mouth.

Upon noticing a nod from Robin, Starfire walked toward him. "I will accompany you," she informed just loud enough for everyone to hear. "I wish for this badness to end as soon as it is possible."

"Thanks, Star," the masked teen gave a slight smile in her direction before returning his gaze to the other three. "Raven, it might be best for you to go down and give the proper authorities the confirmed identities of the two girls," he paused to wait for an affirmative movement from her, and then he shifted his eyes to his partially mechanical friend. "Cyborg, accompany her and see if you can find traces of anything foreign that they may have missed, and Beast Boy, go with them in case he does find anything. If he does, get the scent and return to both scenes to see if you can pick up the same one at either sight. I don't want to overlook anything." His tone left no room for argument.

–

There was very little discussion that morning before they left to carry out their assignments, splitting into groups of three and two to go their separate ways. It already seemed as though it would be a long day, especially to Beast Boy. He would have rather stayed in the tower, not dwelling on what had happened the previous evening. Not much he could do about it, though. His leader had spoken and he was also not in the mood to be reprimanded for giving him a hard time. Sure, the situation seemed to bother everyone else in some way, but he felt like the only one who was having a hard time coming to grips with the... incidents. He did not even want to think about the actual word used to describe what had occurred. No, that would only make it harder for him.

This is not to say that the rest of the day was not hard enough of as it was. He had to force himself to make it through. Everything seemed like a blur and he had a difficult time focusing on the task at hand. The changeling did want he was told to do, but that was it. His whole self was not in it, despite the seriousness of the situation. He tried to make himself, but his efforts only proved fruitless. At least Cyborg and Raven had done their jobs, which ended up meaning that he did prove useful in joining them Nonetheless, he had been unable to find much of anything. The scents had been washed away by the water and fire. The elements made it hard. Thus, he ended up back at the Tower, awaiting the return of Robin and Starfire. They must have found something otherwise they would already be back.

Everyone else seemed so bent on solving the case, while he simply wanted it to go away. Of course, he did not mention that to anyone. He reasoned with himself that part of the reason he found himself struggling was because a case like this usually went to the police or even the higher-ups. The Titans had been there, and that is why they were now involved.

A sighed passed over his lips. "_That's not it,_" he berated himself, "_I just don't want to admit that it makes me nervous... Sure, we've dealt with the end of the world. Somehow, I can handle that but not this. Maybe that's because we knew who we were up against. We don't this time..._" This train of thought ran continually through his mind, but he never once voiced it. One reason, he tried to tell himself, was that he did not want to drudge up any painful memories for Raven. Another was that he did not want to admit that the whole thing struck a bit of fear in him.

"Yo, BB!"

His friend's voice nearly made him jump out of his seat on the couch. "Yeah?" The word came out in a tone almost too quiet.

"Robin wants us to meet 'im downtown," Cyborg replied, already turning to leave.

"Oh," was all Beast Boy said in response, climbing over the back of the piece of furniture to follow his teammate.

–

_Two weeks later..._

Lounging languidly on the plush sofa, the green Titan held the remote control to their gaming station between his hands. His thumbs moved quickly between keys while his gaze was glued to the large screen in front of him. He had been that way for almost an hour, yet he still failed to show any signs of fatigue. It appeared that his mind was entirely focused on the activity he was currently engaged in. The video game held his attention firmly, although it was only because he allowed it to. Lights flashed wildly on the screen and various noises continually burst forth from the speakers, and he seemed to be taking it all in without flinching. He did not want to think about anything else at the moment. He was content.

Despite his appearance, the past few weeks had been more than eventful. The murderer had struck time and time again, each time similar to the last. They always seemed to be one step behind the culprit, and because of that, the death toll was on the rise. Several of the gruesome images flashed through his mind, causing a grimace to pass over his features before quickly vanishing. None of them he ever wanted to have to see again, but he had a feeling he would. Their hopes were dropping, but they had not given up. He still had not either, but that did not mean much right then.

Raven sat quietly on the other end of the couch, reading. She was relaxing while she could, although it was not because the current situation was difficult for her to deal with. On the contrary, she needed a day to rest in order to work on the case. There had been so many fires lately that last night had been a rarity. There was no crime, as if the criminal was actually allowing them a break. Regardless of the reason, she was thankful for the time being. She had spent the morning in meditation and was now catching up on some reading. It helped her keep control of her powers to rest every now and then. Of course, the others were researching or testing evidence for DNA at the moment. Most of them, anyway. She did not know Beast Boy's excuse for getting out of work.

Book marking the page where she was at, the female Titan laid the book to one side. It was not like she really needed it, for she had read the book many times. She reached down to pick up the empty tea cup that sat beside the couch and rose from her seat. On her way to the kitchen area, she passed quietly in front of her fellow teammate, not even bothering to speed up when walking by the large screen. This earned her a noticeable glare from the changeling, which she decidedly ignored.

Beast Boy was quick to hit the pause button in mid-glare, allowing his gaze to follow the other Titan as she walked toward to sink. "You so did that on purpose," he remarked, his tone hinting that he was not necessarily upset but he was not pleased either.

The violet-haired girl felt the other's emerald eyes on her and turned to look back at him. "You act as if you have not played that game enough to know exactly what came next," she retorted in a bored tone before continuing on her way to the kitchen.

"That's not the point," he countered, looking back toward the screen and resuming his game. He did not want to get into an argument with her at the moment, he just wanted to keep his mind away from their current case.

Upon hearing his reply, Raven raised one eyebrow slightly above the other but finished cleaning up her dishes. When returning to her seat, she crossed behind the couch and around to the other side before sitting down. Why she had not wanted to provoke another response of that manner from him was a mystery even to her.

Lifting the book up in front of her face, she momentarily looked over the top of the binding to study his expression. It was slightly more relaxed than his tone had implied, but there were still traces of something similar to concentration. Hints of irritation were there, too. That was unlike his usual demeanor. "_Come to think of it,_" she thought to herself, "_he has been acting different lately._" She shook her head and started reading where she had left off, but the idea kept nagging at her. "_Why do I even care?_", the empath mused silently. When she came out of her momentary discussion with herself, she noticed that she was once again watching him, but he did not seem to be aware of that yet.

It was at that moment that she became aware of something else. That something was exactly how loud the volume was on the television. There was really no way to avoid him noticing if she were to turn it down, seeing as how the remote was on the other side of her teammate. If she tried to levitate it over to her, he would more than likely catch a glimpse of it. "Do you have to keep it so loud?", she finally asked, deciding on a more direct approach.

"You don't have to read in here," came the green Titan's reply, never missing a beat in his game.

"I have just as much right to be in here as you do," she pointed out, her tone carrying a bit more edge in it than before. There was a second's pause, and something occurred to her in that brief amount of time. Or rather, she remembered something. "I thought you were supposed to be out helping Cyborg, anyway," she voiced.

His shoulders rose and fell in a shrug, not appearing to take any offense to her statement. "I needed a break, just like you," he answered. "Besides," he continued shortly after, "Cyborg can handle it."

"We need as many hands on the case as we can," Raven replied, still unsure of her friend's behavior. In the past, Beast Boy usually wanted to assist wherever possible. He did not normally like to sit on the sidelines. "_Why is this time any different, especially now?_", she questioned herself.

"You're here too, not helping," he countered, eyes still glued on the screen in front of him.

"You know that I needed some time to meditate. If I didn't, it would become increasing difficult to control my powers," she stated, voice firm and once again showing a hint of irritation.

"They are fine without me," Beast Boy restated, choosing to not comment on what she had said.

Opting to not reply, the cloaked female leaned back against the sofa and tried to return to her reading. It was difficult, though. As much as she did not want to admit it, she was beginning to feel something akin to worry for her fellow Titan. His actions told her that something was out of place, but she did not wish to probe for anymore answers right then. "_Perhaps later..._"

Her brief thought was suddenly interrupted when she heard one of the dishes in the sink explode into countless pieces. She had not realized how much her worry was beginning to show. "I'll clean that up," Raven uttered after a few moments, or once she became aware that her green teammate was looking in her direction. Resolving to try and read later, she went back into the kitchen and began to carefully gather up the many shards of the saucer.

Meanwhile, Beast Boy had watched her go with an almost curious expression. What had caused her to momentarily lose control of her powers? She had not appeared to be angry enough, so there had to be some other explanation. He returned his attention to his video game, which he had paused temporarily when the dish broke. Maybe his responses had annoyed her without him realizing it. "_It would not be the first time until I noticed too late..._," he reminded himself.

His last words to her echoed in his mind. It was not like he felt useless or thought that the efforts of the other Titans to solve the case were futile. Quite the contrary. He knew there were tasks that they needed his help with, and he was more than aware how much the city needed them right then. Any effort was better than no effort. "_So, why do I not feel like doing anything?_" There was a short lapse in time before he dared to answer himself, "_I just don't want to be reminded..._"

–

_Later that night..._

A feeling he knew all too well washed over him once again. Another fire, another alarm, and more than likely, another victim. "_Joy,_" the changeling sighed inwardly, looking around at the other four gathered in front of the rapidly blinking screen. He was not sure he was quite ready for another night like the many that preceded this one over the past few weeks. "_Yep, just what I need..._"

"You know what to do when we get there," Beast Boy heard Robin instruct the team. If the leader said anything else, it just got all mixed together in the green Titan's mind.

The team fled from the tower as they usually did, hoping that just maybe they would be able to find more clues this time around. Raven flew, or levitated as she chose to define it, and Starfire took to the sky as well. The Boy Wonder hopped on his R-cycle and Cyborg, of course, drove the T-car. Beast Boy opted to change into a bird and fly, like the two female Titans.

Forming an image in his mind, he focused on shifting into the animal he pictured. Pushing off from the ground, he leapt into the sky and... fell flat on his face. Scrambling to his feet, he tried again and again, but only succeeded in scraping his skin. He stared hard at his gloved hands, disbelievingly. What was wrong?

The Tamaranian came to a sudden halt when she noticed her friend lagging behind, or rather, not moving forward at all. "Beast Boy, what is wrong?", she called down to him from her position many feet above the ground.

Shifting his emerald eyes to look up at his teammate, he felt his hands begin to shake slightly. With worry laden in voice, he replied far too quietly for her to hear, "I can't change..."

–

Note: Okay, that's it for Chapter 4! It is a bit of a cliffhanger, I have to admit, but the next chapter shouldn't be too far behind... Hope you enjoyed the update!

**TheDashLikes** - It did take me awhile, but I was also glad when I finally solidified the plot in my mind. It was a rocky start, I do admit. Hope you like the new development, and there is still much more to come! Thanks for reviewing!

**TDG3RD** - Glad you liked the chapter, and I hope you enjoyed this one, too. I am trying to leave some cliffhangers, but they should not be too bad just yet... Thanks for reviewing!

**BolenPUCR** - If all goes to plan, more will be revealed about the culprit in the next chapter. I hope this chapter is a decent update... Thanks for reviewing again!

Note: Please R&R!


	6. Ch 5 Psychology

Disclaimer: Teen Titans does not belong to me... although... No, it doesn't.

Note: I tried to get this chapter out as soon as possible, but I had to take special care with it... It will more understandable once it is read.

Chapter 5 - Psychology

Both arms behind his head, the green Titan lay silently on the top bunk bed in his room. His eyes were closed at the moment, but every now and then they would open and stare unseeingly at the ceiling above. After what seemed like a long stretch of time, he turned slowly onto his side, now facing the wall. Contrary to how it looked, he had managed to climb out of bed earlier that morning, but only after the other four members of the team had left to go their separate ways. He did not have to guess who went with who or where they went. It had been the same since the beginning of the case. Only this time, he had to sit out.

An inaudible sigh passed over his lips as he thought back to the previous night. He could not deny that he had felt some degree of humiliation, but more than that, he had felt even more helpless. Nonetheless, they had not questioned him further at the time, except to ask if he was certain he could not change and if he was alright. Beyond that, no one said a word about it; Starfire had just swooped down and carried him to where the fire was. (They had been all over the city within the past few weeks.) Luckily, it was only one building this time, so Raven was able to put out the fire herself. He had helped search out any survivors and rescue them from the burning structure. At least he had been able to do something.

"_Then, we found another body... Not unusual... but I had a hard time looking at it,_" Beast Boy thought to himself as he shifted onto his back once more. "_After that, we stayed just long enough to talk with the authorities before heading back here... No one said a word to me, as if they did not want to bring up the subject,_" he continued mentally, eyes drifting closed once more. "_... except Starfire, of course._"

Flashback

"Beast Boy," the alien girl began hesitantly, "how are you feeling?"

Looking back at her from his position by the large double doors, he saw her only standing a short distance away. Raven was also there, although she did not seem to be paying much attention. Although, somehow he felt that she was listening in... "I'll be fine," he stated flatly, his tone letting on that he was not certain himself. "I'm probably just tired," Beast Boy added, turning to leave for his room.

She was quiet for a few moments before murmuring, "... if you are sure, friend. I hope all is well with you in the morning." A sincere smile tugged slightly at the corners of her lips as she finished her last sentence.

"Thanks, Star," the green Titan replied before walking out of the large room. As the doors swished closed behind him, his ears perked up slightly as the Tamaranian turned to converse with the empath, but he did not think anything of it right then.

End Flashback

It had been a lie. He was well aware that his level of fatigue had not been the cause of his inability to change. In all honestly, he had not even been too tired at the time, physically anyway. The lie had just been to keep everyone from worrying, or at least Starfire. It appeared as though it had worked to some degree. They had left him to rest for the morning and no one had come to check on him.

Rolling onto his side so that he could see his clock, he noticed that it was getting close to lunchtime. The others would be back soon. Jumping down from his high bed, he left the confines of his messy room for the second time that day. (The first was when he had gone to make himself breakfast.)

As he drew near to the common room, he paused in his steps, thinking that he heard voices on the other side of the doors. The voices were hushed, but he could tell that all four must have already returned. Seeing that they were trying to be quiet, he guessed that he was the topic of their conversation. Normally, he would eavesdrop, but he just did not feel like it right then. So, he walked forward and the doors opened for him.

As soon as the others saw him, a silence fell over the group. They were gathered near the kitchen area. It seemed that it was Robin's turn to cook, since he was the one standing up by the stove. The other three Titans were seated at the counter.

The Boy Wonder was the first to break the silence, "You're just in time for lunch."

"Good, 'cause I'm hungry," Beast Boy replied, plastering a fake grin across his features as he approached the group.

Lunch was fairly quiet, compared to other days. There was no fighting or arguing. The only conversing was about what anyone had found that morning, which was very little. No new clues to add to the meager few they already had.

The identity of last night's victim had been discovered - a young girl who worked at a bar near the outskirts of the city. She fit the broad range of victims easily enough. Initially, the authorities thought that the murderer was only after females, as the first handful of victims were such. Then, a few males were found burned and stabbed. The culprit did not appear to be racist, as the victims differed very much from each other in that category. Also, several of the earlier killings had been people Raven knew from the café, but then murders began to take place at seemingly random locations throughout Jump City with no noticeable connections to each other. It had the team stumped for the time being. The case appeared to get more complex each day.

Once the informal discussion was over, the Titans dispersed for the afternoon. Robin, of course, insisted on having more research to do, and was hence accompanied by the girl of Tamaran. Cyborg went to scan some evidence that he had not finished with that morning, and Beast Boy returned to his room without saying a word. Raven remained in the kitchen to clean up and wash the dishes, as it was her turn to do so.

While beginning to move the dishes from the counter and dispose of the trash, the empath allowed her mind to wander back to the conversation that had taken place right before lunch...

Flashback

When she walked through the double doors with Cyborg, the two found that the Boy Wonder and Starfire had beaten them back. This was unusual, seeing as how engrossed Robin was known to get with his research. Forcing the thought from her mind, she moved to take a seat in front of the counter and folded her arms on top of the hard surface. Looking around, she saw that the leader of the team had already started on lunch and the sound of plates and utensils clicking together were the only noises to be heard.

This time is was the Tamaranian who chose to break the silence. "Should I go see if our friend is feeling better?" It was directed at Robin, of course, who turned slightly from where he was standing in front of the stove to look back at her.

"Not yet," he said, his tone making it seem as though he was slightly distracted. "Regardless of what he told you, I doubt him being tired is the reason for his loss of power. He's been tired before and has still been able to change." There was a noticeable pause before he continued, "I think this is something we need to address... but he won't give us straight answers."

"Of course he won't," Raven voiced, hands folded neatly under her chin as she directed her violet gaze toward the other three.

"But why?", the redhead asked, her voice laden with obvious concern. "We only wish to be of help to him."

"He probably feels that it would be too embarrassing," Cyborg commented from Starfire's left. "You know how he likes to feel useful...He doesn't like to admit when he's helpless. I mean, who does?"

"He's not helpless," the violet-haired female replied with a firm tone.

"Raven's right," Robin spoke up, fully turning to face them. "He can help it but he doesn't know it."

"I believe the problem is in his mind," the cloaked Titan responded, a serious expression on her face. This was not the time to make any remarks about his lack of having a brain, as they so often liked to tease him about.

"That would explain his behavior recently," the half-robot stated, glancing down at the counter's surface.

"So, we should try to make him feel better, like cheer him up? All this badness does seem to be making him so sad," Starfire replied with her hands set neatly in her lap. Her tone had yet to lack in concern or sincerity.

"I'm afraid that it's not that easy, Starfire," the masked Titan answered, his tone laced with disappointment. They were close within the tower. So, when one teammate was upset or depressed, the rest of the team felt it to some effect.

"There is obviously something bothering him, and he won't get any better until he learns to deal with it," Raven voiced a bit edgily. Normally, it would not have been any of their business, but they really needed to pool all their resources on this case. His absence would be felt.

The Tamaranian fidgeted with her hands and looked around at the other three Titans present. Tentatively, she asked, "But can we help him?"

Before either of the two males could answer, the other female Titan spoke up, "This isn't something I would normally volunteer for, but I will try." When she noticed the expression on the others' faces, she frowned ever so slightly and added, "I am experienced in issues that deal with the mind."

"Alright then," the Boy Wonder replied, going back to fixing lunch. No one said anything more since, at that moment, Beast Boy entered the room. All four hoped that he had not heard any part of their conversation...

End Flashback

As she thought back through those few minutes before lunch, she finished putting away the dishes and turned to head to the roof in order to meditate. She was still unsure why she had volunteered to help, that was something she needed to look into before she said anything to Beast Boy.

–

The room was consumed in darkness, with the exception of the glowing red digits on a digital clock. They read 2:09 p.m. It was the middle of the afternoon and he was just waking up. Thanks to the lack of windows, the sunlight outside was not a problem. Although it was dark, he knew that the room was scarcely furnished; just a simple bed, night stand, dresser, and small desk were the only furniture.

"_Why am I so tired?_", he thought silently. "_It feels like I've been up all night... Maybe I'm coming down with something..._" Sitting up in bed, he ran a hand through his short brown locks, debating whether or not he felt like getting up just yet.

"Finally, you're awake," a low voice spoke through the blackness of the room

"W-who's there?", the man answered shakily, eyes searching the darkness in vain for the owner of the voice.

"Fool, you know very well who I am," the voice came again, a bit more threateningly than before. It was definitely masculine and familiar, but he could not quite place it.

"I-I do?", he questioned, his own voice was growing more and more timid each passing second. Thinking he heard the sound of footsteps drawing closer, he jumped slightly and gripped the edge of his blankets tightly, knuckles quickly growing white.

"Of course," came the response, which was then followed by a momentary pause. "... and you also know exactly why I'm here."

The man's eyes started roaming around wildly, trying to pinpoint the source of the footsteps, which he was convinced were coming ever closer. "What do you want?", he ventured further, although quite hesitant to do so.

"Nothing much, for now," was his answer. There was a noise like that of paper being shuffled around before the sound of footfalls began to grow more distant. "Just go back to sleep," the voice drifted one last time through the blackness before falling silent.

A moment or so later, the form of a man crept from a darkened room and headed down a nearby hall, a folded piece of paper tight in his grip.

–

The air was warm against her exposed skin as she floated a few feet above the ground, legs crossed and eyes closed. Her cloak floated noiselessly in a light breeze as it passed by her and continued on its way. She failed to notice much of this, seeing as her thoughts were occupied with more pressing matters. All she wanted to do was find a few answers, but her emotions were still stubbornly keeping them from her conscious knowledge, to an extent.

"_Why did I even offer... I can barely stand to be in the same room with him for too long,_" Raven thought mentally, her outward facial expression never altering. "_We're on the same team, and he has been there for me in the past..._" She shook her head, wondering over the reasons she was supplying for herself as excuses. "_This is ridiculous... We are friends, and there's nothing wrong with wanting to help a friend in need, is there?_"

Suddenly, a small voice in the back of her mind spoke up, saying, "_... but that's not the only reason you volunteered and you know it..._"

A slight frown crossed her delicate facial features, and she answered, "_What are you implying?_"

"_You know exactly what I mean,_" the voice replied in an amused tone, as if she were teasing the empath.

"_I assure you that I do not,_" Raven responded sternly.

"_You don't, or you don't want to admit that you do?_", it asked with mock naivete. The last part of the sentence was much more a statement than a question.

"_I don't have to answer you,_" the Titan retorted. Then, she paused. "_... why am I having this conversation with myself?_"

Sighing inwardly, she pushed the "talk" she had just had out of her mind, or at least, that is what she tried to do. Somewhere within herself she knew that the voice had been right; she did not want to admit anything. This held especially true when it came to the identity of the new and elusive emotion. Wait, was the emotion really new?

Without warning, her eyes opened and she found herself staring out over the currently calm waters, not blinking right away. It could not be her, could it? She did not want to answer herself this time. Feeling herself beginning to shake slightly, she quickly stood up and began to head back down to her room. At one point, she heard a window somewhere crack. Perhaps, she had done enough meditating for the afternoon... After all, she had provided an answer as to why she offered to help Beast Boy. That should have been enough to satisfy her mind for the time being.

As she made her way down from the rooftop, Raven still found herself thinking over the last question that she had asked herself. "_No,_" she thought silently, "_I thought I had seen the last of her a long time ago... I don't want to see her again, not after what happened last time... I don't want to feel that kind of pain again... I won't let myself..._"

–

A swishing sound was heard as the cloaked Titan entered the large common room and noticed Beast Boy channel surfing once again. It seemed that he had decided to finally come out of his room that day, for something other than eating. Instead of going right into a conversation, she made her way over to the kitchen area to make herself a cup of herbal tea. She had yet to have any that day as it was.

While standing in front of the stove, she decided to speak up, "I guess since Starfire is out for the afternoon, I should ask if you are feeling any better." After all, she could not act much differently than she did at other times.

Still flipping through the different stations, he turned his head slightly to the side to look over at her. "I guess. I was only tired, anyway," he replied, shifting his gaze back to the television screen.

"I doubt that," she remarked, turning the knob on the stove to the right temperature setting..

Immediately, he pressed the mute button and quickly returned to looking toward his teammate. "What's that supposed to mean?", the changeling asked defensively.

"Exactly what I said," Raven responded, moving to retrieve a cup from a nearby cupboard.

"I was just tired," he gritted out. "How many times do I have to tell you that?" His eyes had narrowed a bit, but more in suspicion than anything else.

"You may have been tired, but I don't think that is the only reason for your lack of ability," she elaborated in her usual straightforward tone.

"What are you getting at?", he questioned snappily, eyes searching for some kind of answer as she turned around to face him.

Standing beside the heating stove, she gave him a plainspoken response. "I think you're having a hard time dealing with this case, and it's affecting you physically."

Leaning back against the couch, he redirected his line of vision to the noiseless screen in front of him. "And how do you figure that?", he asked, his tone having lost its previous edge.

"I do have experience in dealing with the mind, Beast Boy," she replied easily enough, knowing that he knew what she said was true.

There was silence for a few moments and then the kettle let out a shrill whistle, letting her know that the water was hot enough for her tea. Returning to making her beverage, Raven added, "When the mind cannot accept something, it uses defense mechanisms to cope with it instead." That said, she finished what she was doing and started to head out of the room at a purposefully slow pace. After all, she had managed to take note of the fact that the other Titan had yet to turn the sound back on.

"Hey... uh... Raven?", the male teen called out after her, head turned to follow her steps.

"Yes?", she responded, pausing where she was to look back over at him.

"Do you think... you could... uh...," he stammered hesitantly, having trouble finishing what he wanted to say. "... help me... ya know... cope?"

Allowing a rare, small smile to grace her lips, she nodded in affirmation. "I think I can do that," she said aloud.

"Thanks," Beast Boy replied, feeling himself return the smile. "_Wait... Since when does Raven smile at me?_", he questioned himself, but he soon brushed that aside... even if it was only for the time being.

–

Note: That's Chapter 5! What do you all think? I hope the wait wasn't too long... but I wanted to make this chapter just right... I hope I succeeded...

**Tammy Tamborine** - I think I provided you with a bit of the reason why Beast Boy can't change in this chapter, and I hope you enjoyed the update. Thanks so much for your review!

**soraoathkeeper **- Thank you! I try my best to keep all of the characters in-character to the best of my ability... I appreciate your review!

**TDG3RD** - You guessed right! His inability to change does have to do with his current mental state, although there are still some specifics that I have yet to mention. That'll happen next chapter. Thanks for all of your reviews!

**dl316bh** - Wow, I was flattered by your review... I'm glad you like the story so much, and I hope the update is to your liking! Thank you for the review!

Note: As always, please R&R!


	7. Ch 6 Suspicions

Disclaimer: Don't own Teen Titans, sadly...

Note: Sorry about taking so long to update! I meant to get it done by yesterday, but I have severely limited access to the internet... so, I posted it when I could. I hope it was worth the wait!

**Chapter 6: Suspicions**

Two more weeks had gone by, making it close to a month since the string of murders had begun. Things had gotten better and worse for the Teen Titans. It was worse because the case was no closer to being solved, rather, it had only grown more perplexing. Only a few more killings had taken place. This was good because it meant less casualties, but it was bad because they still had yet to catch the murderer. At the same time, Beast Boy appeared to be slowly returning to his normal self, as normal as he ever was, anyway. The deaths still seemed to bother him, but he was gradually putting in more and more effort to help with the case. Step by step, he began to learn how to better cope with everything that was going on. Thus, there was a balance of positive and negative feelings within the tower.

It was around lunchtime, which meant that they were returning from what had become their morning routine over the past month. As it had been, Robin and Starfire would head off to work on research while Raven and Cyborg would work on verifying different pieces of evidence. Beast Boy had gotten in the habit of switching between the groups, going where he was needed at the time. This was somewhat due to the empath, since she had convinced him that he could still be of use without changing into animals. The others had been a bit skeptical at first, worrying that his tendency to play around would interfere, even in such a serious case. However, seeing as he did not want to be useless, Beast Boy kept himself in check so that he would at least not hinder the research. After all, he did know that there were times that called for him to be serious; he just did not always act like it.

The changeling had already returned, beating the others back. He had been with Robin and Starfire that day, but had decidedly excused himself a bit early. True, their minds had been set on research, but he had started to feel a bit like a third wheel. They had not said anything aloud, but it was obvious there were feelings beyond friendship between the two. This did not mean that he was not aware of this before, as he had noticed it a long time ago... He and Cyborg were simply waiting to see when they got around to admitting those feelings to each other. "_People can be so oblivious..._", he thought silently to himself as he walked into the kitchen area, intent on making lunch.

"Maybe breakfast for lunch," Beast Boy mused aloud, opening a cupboard to dig out a few pans. He did not think he would get a lot of complaints about that, seeing as how they had eaten it many times before. It was tofu, of course, so Cyborg would no doubt voice his objection, but he was more than used to that. With that, he threw on a relatively clean apron and shoved a chef's hat floppily onto his head.

He figured it would be at least fifteen to thirty minutes before the others returned, so he set about fixing lunch. With no one else around, it was only a matter of a few moments before his thoughts began to wander. It was not the case that was on his mind, but a certain fellow Titan. Over the past month or so, he had found himself thinking about her more and more. He could still remember the way his heart had skipped a beat when she had given him a hug after her heart had been broken, but at the same time, he had not allowed himself to think anything of it. She was unusually emotional at the time and he... well, it had been not all that long since Terra. He had not wanted to open up his own heart right then.

"_But what about now?_"

His own thought stunned him momentarily. Was he opening up to her? He shook his head, trying to drive the thought out of his mind but it refused to leave. Maybe it was true... After all, she had been helping him to cope when he had been unable to, and he found himself willing to trust her and to take her advice. It had helped, too. She had told him to train to let out his anger, only this time with a goal in mind. (... not like the time he had been doused with a chemical...) The researching had been her idea, too. This was in order to make him stop avoiding the case like he had been. She had been there for him, and had actually shown concern. When had that started, anyway?

A long sigh passed over his lips as he started setting out the plates. He knew that she had begun to open up to him as well, but her reason for doing so still eluded him. "_She's my friend... I mean, she still doesn't laugh at my jokes, so there's nothing that unusual... right?_" His shoulders drooped slightly at that last thought and he bit his bottom lip as if disappointed, that is, until his head snapped up suddenly and he attempted to force a dawning idea from his mind. "_She's only a friend! ... Sure, she's pretty, and she is going out of her way to help me, but that doesn't mean that I -like- like her!_"

With his free hand, he gave himself a firm slap on the forehead, almost causing himself to fall over. What was he thinking? Of course he did not like her as more than a friend, and he could not think anything but the same for her thoughts about him! She helped him, but he had come to learn that she did try to help her friends. A gloomy feeling seemed to settled when he pointed that out to himself.

"_That's because you do like her, and as more than a friend, too!_", a voice whispered in the back of his mind

He was almost sure that if he could see it, that "voice" would be wearing a smirk like a Cheshire cat. Now, what was it that Raven had once told him? "_Oh yeah, don't let your emotions control you... That sounds like her._"

Grumbling outwardly, he was unable to defend himself from his own thoughts because he heard the doors to the common room abruptly swish open. And who should come walking in? None other than the current reason for his inner conflict. However, he managed to force a grin onto his features a moment later. Of course, it was only forced for the first second. "Hey, Raven," he greeted, scrambling some tofu eggs while looking over his shoulder at her. "Want some breakfast for lunch?"

"Let me guess, tofu? It seems I have no choice," she replied in her usual tone as she drew closer to the counter. "I thought you were with Robin and Starfire," Raven added, allowing her gaze to briefly sweep around the large room and finding it empty save for the two of them.

"I was," he answered, continuing to whip around the eggs in the pan. "I wonder if they noticed that I left," the shape-shifter snickered slightly.

"Robin mentioned that they could use your help this morning," she responded as she took a seat at the counter.

"I know, but that doesn't mean that he didn't want some alone time with you-know-who," he commented, a mischievous smirk appearing faintly across his features.

Catching what he meant by his tone, she let out a brief sigh and shook her head slightly. Still, the violet-haired empath said nothing to disagree with him. Instead, she let a comfortable silence fill the room for a few minutes, until he chose to break it.

"So, where's Cyborg?", Beast Boy questioned, more or less because he wanted to be ready to get yelled at for cooking tofu again. Not that it mattered. He had just wanted to fill the silence.

"He's back, too," she answered. Allowing her gaze to shift over to the green Titan, she folded her arms across the hard surface. When she spoke again, she changed the subject to a more serious one. "How was your morning?"

Having already removed the pan from the heat a minute ago, he was currently beginning on waffles. He was not startled by her question, seeing as how she asked it every day now. She was holding him accountable and expecting to be told if something new had developed. This was in addition to the discussions they would have every afternoon, but that was more to work on finding different ways to cope with the whole situation.

It took him a moment before he replied honestly, "It was alright, nothing bad." Sure, it was a generic answer, but that was where they normally dropped the conversation until later.

"Good," Raven responded, watching him for any signs of him having given her a false answer. Seeing none, she let herself offer a barely noticeable smile, even if he could not see it. Then, just as quickly as it had come, it was gone, mostly.

The doors opened behind them, signaling the arrival of one or more of their teammates. They would talk more later.

–

It was that time of day again. The time for her to meditate, but she was not looking forward to it right then. She knew where her thoughts would go and she could already feel an argument with her emotions forming. This had been happening for the past few weeks. Still, they gave her no new information, nor did she agree with what they were trying to get her to admit. It was like a tug-of-war in her mind, neither side willing to give an inch. One would think that this would become tiring after awhile, and yet it persisted.

Settling into her usual position, she began to quietly chant the same three words over and over again, "Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos... Azerath, Metrion, Zinthos..." The world around her seemed to drift into a calming state, not affected by the light breeze or mild warmth that was in the air. For a few minutes, it appeared as though her emotions would remain silent for that session of meditation and she inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Then, she heard an all too familiar voice giggle in the back of her mind. "_Come on, admit it!_", it coaxed her with an eager tone.

"_No,_" she answered firmly, hoping to end the conversation there but knowing the contrary.

"_Why are you helping him, then?_", the voice questioned curiously.

"_He's my friend,_" Raven responded to herself, facial features unchanging.

"_Would you do this for any of them?_"

"_Why wouldn't I?_", she replied to the question with one of her own.

"_... but this time is different,_" came the cheery voice, fully believing what had just been said.

"_Not really_," the Titan stated dryly, getting a bit fed up with the conversation already.

"_Oh, so you admit that it is at least a bit different?_", the voice asked teasingly and hopefully at the same time.

"_That's not what I meant,_" she uttered firmly.

In attempt to end the discussion there, she opened her eyes to look over the waters that surrounded the small piece of land. During this time, she noticed a certain other Titan standing at the shoreline, which appeared to be the place he went when he needed to think. His shoulders were rising and falling as though he was breathing hard, making it seem that he had actually done some training already that afternoon – even in the absence of his powers. She found herself just watching him for a few moments, until he suddenly turned around, supposedly feeling her eyes on him. He smiled and waved up at her, only receiving a brief nod in return – one that was just barely noticeable at that distance. With that, he moved to walk back inside the large building while she immediately returned to her meditation.

The cloaked female tried to keep her mind off of her teammate, but her efforts only proved futile. She struggled to think of anything besides what she had come to learn about him within the past few weeks. He had already known about her situation concerning her father, and lived through it. On the other hand, she had known very little about his past. He had kept quiet about it. However, in hopes of trying to find out why the current case bothered him, she had ventured to ask a few questions concerning his life before the Teen Titans. In doing so, she had found out about how his parents were killed in a boating accident, and he still wondered why he did not die as well. She had also heard how when he first came to the states, there were people who tried to make him use his unique ability for criminal purposes. Of course, she had been unaware of it all until he had told her. He had hid it all well.

"_He trusts you,_" a voice spoke up, but a different one than before.

"_How do you figure that?_", she questioned, her tone letting on that she did not appreciate the new conversation.

"_He told you about his past. You yourself don't tell anyone about yours unless you trust them,_" came the logical response.

"_What are you getting at?_", Raven replied, gaining a slightly suspicious tone.

"_Simply that if he trusts you, you should think about letting him know that you trust him,_" the voice answered casually.

"_He knows I trust him as a friend,_" she commented in a mildly irritated tone, knowing where the discussion was going.

"_But what about as more than a friend?_", the voice questioned imploringly.

Not giving a response of any kind, the empath chose to abruptly end her meditation. The slight rattling of the roof door's knob only reinforcing her decision. "_This can't go on much longer,_" she whispered mentally as she rose to head down from the rooftop.

–

At some point between her meditation and her daily discussion with Beast Boy, the Tamaranian had insisted that they go to the "mall of shopping" later that afternoon. She said it would be a good break, so the violet-haired female had agreed to go.

Thus, she found herself walking around said mall as dinner time drew near. They would have to leave soon, seeing as they had already been there a good hour and Robin would not let them be late for their "duties" that night. It had been that way lately, seeing as the murderer had gradually stopped their nightly routine of taking someone's life and then setting the nearest building on fire. Since the Boy Wonder seemed to view this change of pace as a chance to get ahead, he had them patrol the city each and every night after dinner. (This was because all of the murders had been estimated to have happened between dusk and midnight.) North, South, East, and West. Each quadrant of Jump City was searched by one or more of the Titans. Beast Boy would go along with one of the others as a precaution, since his powers had yet to return. So, after dinner, this is what they had to look forward to.

However, right at that moment, Raven could admit that she was rather enjoying the time to get her mind off of everything that had been going on recently. She had needed a break, even if it was simply window shopping at the nearest mall. Starfire was currently babbling on about something in a nearby store, although the cloaked Titan had tuned her out at some point in the past few minutes. Suddenly, the other girl took hold of her right wrist and dragged her into a small but tidy clothing store. Seeing as it mostly contained brightly colored apparel, Raven pretty much lost interest and took to following the redhead around as she dashed between various racks of clothing.

After what seemed like many minutes of pointless shifting through shirts, skirts, dresses, and pants, the alien girl announced that she was ready to leave the store, having not found anything she really liked. The two continued on their way, looking for another shop or something of the like to browse through. They had already been to the bookstore for Raven and the pet store for Starfire. She had wanted to see if there was anything interesting that Silkie might like. It did not matter that the pet was unusual; she insisted on looking anyway.

The next place the redhead stopped in front of was a nail salon, a large smile suddenly spreading across her face. She turned toward the other girl, beaming, "Shall we do the painting of our nails before we go back?"

"That's alright, mine are fine," the empath answered, not even showing a hint of interest in the activity.

"But Raven," the Tamaranian persisted, "it would be fun and they would look nice for the next time you saw–..." She stopped speaking suddenly and looked back toward the salon.

"What did you say?", the other female Titan questioned, one eyebrow raised.

"Um... that it would be fun?", Starfire offered weakly, only turning partially away from the storefront.

"No, after that," Raven replied tersely. "Who would I want my nails to look nice for?"

Folding her hands in front of herself and allowing her head to droop slightly, the alien girl slowly shifted to face her violet-haired friend, eyes directed at the ground. She began to twiddle her thumbs nervously as she tried to answer, "Um... well, Raven... y-you must admit... after all, you did offer to help... a-and you have rarely done that before..." When she had finished her near-stuttering sentence, she peeked up at her friend through her bangs.

Through the past few moments, the cloaked Titan had been watching the other with a critical gaze. "Starfire," she began in her usual tone, or lack thereof, "just because I am helping him, doesn't mean that I like him that way." As if to emphasize the opposite of what had just been spoken, a glass figurine on a nearby cart suddenly exploded into countless shards.

Choosing not to comment on the shattered object, the Tamaranian nodded weakly and opted to leave the topic at that. "But... we can still do the painting of our nails, yes?"

"I don't think we have enough time," Raven responded calmly. This was followed by a brief pause before adding, "Why not just paint your own nails?"

"I want them to look nice," she replied easily, glancing at her unpolished nails.

Knowing that Starfire was not necessarily one to fawn over her looks, her answer perplexed the empath slightly, until she remembered what Beast Boy had hinted at earlier that day. Although certain behavior would be uncharacteristic for her, this once she felt like returning the favor. "For Robin?", she asked, a small smirk appearing across her features.

The heat suddenly rose in the redhead's cheeks as a blush spread across her features. "W-what?", she stammered, one hand raised to try and cover a reddening cheek.

"Nothing," Raven answered simply in her normal tone of voice.

She was about to say something further when something, or rather someone, caught her attention. There was a person sitting on a nearby bench that was positioned against the wall, newspaper in hand. Since it was slightly behind Starfire, she could not have noticed, but the cloaked female did. She was not getting a good feeling about him; there was just something out of place... although she was not quite sure what. Turning away momentarily, she lowered her voice when speaking to her companion. "Starfire," she began, gaining the other's attention, "there's a man on the bench behind you."

"Hm?", the Tamaranian raised an eyebrow and turned her head to look where her friend had indicated. "But there is no one there."

Hearing her response, Raven once again looked over, only to see that her teammate had been right. There was no one sitting there anymore. "That's strange," she murmured quietly, eyes narrowed a bit.

Raising the hood to her cloak over her head, she glanced briefly at the other girl before starting toward the mall's exit. "We better get going," she stated, soon followed by Starfire.

–

Note: So, how was that? I tried to add a bit of humor in there with Starfire, but I'm not sure how good it was... Oh, and the information I used about Beast Boy's past I got from so all credit goes to them! I already have the next chapter planned out, and the end of it really start things moving. That's all I'll say about it for now!

**Tammy Tamborine** - I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and I apologize personally for not updating sooner. Thanks so much for the review!

**TDG3RD** - Yeah, in some ways they do... but there are other issues, too, which I have yet to name. I hope you liked this chapter! Thank you so much for all of your reviewing!

Note: Thanks again! Please R&R!


	8. Ch 7 One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Disclaimer: If I owned Teen Titans, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction about it. Since I am writing said fanfiction, I obviously don't own the show.

Note: I do apologize for the week between updates. However, this chapter is somewhat longer than the others, so hopefully that will make up for it... (I tried to post this chapter up last night, but wouldn't let me even login, so I apologize for the extra delay.) Also, this is the one where things begin to get moving. The next chapter will be a bit faster paced. In addition, I am also doing something that I have yet to do, and that is request three reviews before I update again. I am doing this because reviews serve to help me in two ways: tell me what I should continue to do, and what I should work to improve. Even if you don't think a "good job" helps me, it honestly does! Thank you!

**Chapter 7: One Step Forward, Two Steps Back**

It had been a long while since things looked relatively normal around the tower. Yet, there were rare moments when everything seemed to be as it should be. This was one of those moments. Beast Boy rested against the back of the plush couch, slouched in a comfortable position with the remote in hand. The large screen in front of him switched channels every few seconds as he pressed the button.

Behind him, the doors moved apart and footsteps could be heard entering the room. There were two pairs, considering that one set veered off in the direction of the kitchen area while the other moved to stand right behind the couch.

"So," Cyborg's voice broke through the changeling's daze, causing him to jump a little, "this is something I haven't seen in awhile."

"What is?", came the response as the smaller Titan continued to flip through stations.

"You in front of the T.V. Raven not around to catch you?", the other asked, a smirk blatant on his features and in his teasing tone.

"Since when do I need her permission to do anything?", Beast Boy questioned, turning a mild glare toward his friend.

"Since you started doing everything she tells you to do," he replied, smirk still very much present on his face. "... you never used to listen to her..."

"I only do what she says will help me," the shape-shifter countered, eyes still rather narrowed. "Something wrong with that?"

"No, not at all," Cyborg responded, waving a hand in the air slowly, "That is, if you -were- only listening because she was helping you..."

"I said I was," the other Titan retorted, deciding at that moment to press the mute button on the remote. By doing that, he showed his friend how he was giving the conversation his full attention.

"I know you did," the larger of the two replied with a slight lilt in his voice.

"Alright, dude, what're you getting at?", the green male demanded, seemingly impatient already.

"Oh, nothing," the partially mechanical one answered in the same tone as before, obviously implying that he was lying.

"I so don't believe you," Beast Boy stated with frustration in his voice.

"Good," the other responded, smirk having never left his features, "you shouldn't."

"Dude, just tell me what you're trying to say," the changeling said, gritting his teeth together in aggravation. He was not angry by any means, more like annoyed.

"Calm down, man," Cyborg responded, "I'm just trying to tell you that we know."

"Know what?", his green friend asked with a single eyebrow raised.

"Ya know, how you feel about Raven," came the matter-of-fact answer from the partly-robotic Titan. Even as his tone changed, his mischievous expression never did.

As the words came out of his friend's mouth, Beast Boy's eyes widened as much as they could and his mouth fell agape. "Uh... uh...wh... uh...," he stuttered rather intelligently, taking a moment to pull himself back together. "W-what?", he finally asked, although his tone was still a bit shaky.

"You know what I said," the larger Titan replied, arms crossed in front of his chest. "Although, I never did say what those feelings were, but based on your reaction, I think it's rather obvious that we were right."

Shaking his head as if to regain his composure, the changeling said a single word, "We?"

"We," the Boy Wonder spoke up from where he was standing in the kitchen area, currently facing the other two. He, too, wore a smirk across his features.

"It's useless to deny it," Cyborg remarked in a teasing tone.

"Deny what?", the shape-shifter huffed with a slight frown tugging down the corners of his lips.

"That you _like_ Raven," came the tall one's brief and straight forward answer, "_Like_ like her."

Despite his attempts to hide his reaction, the green male could feel the heat rising in his cheeks as he fumbled around in his mind for a sufficient answer. "So... what if I do?", he eventually muttered out, sighing inwardly at giving in so easily. "It's not like it's much different from Robin and Starfire," Beast Boy pointed toward the masked Titan who had recently turned his back to the other two.

Upon hearing the words leave his friend's mouth, the pan the leader of the Titans was holding suddenly slipped from his grip and fell to the floor with a loud clatter. "It's not... she's not... I'm not...," he stumbled verbally for the next few seconds, not turning around to face his friends due to the rising blush on his cheeks.

"We've known that for a long time and who knows when they'll ever admit it, but with you and Raven...," Cyborg trailed off, leaving the changeling to infer what he meant. It did not seem to bother him in the least that he had said the first part of his sentence in front of Robin. He said it like it was common knowledge, which it did seem to be... except for the two involved in it.

"'But' nothing," the green Titan jumped in almost immediately after the other finished speaking. It also seemed like he paid no heed to the masked leader, who still stood stammering in the kitchen. "... and even if I did like her that way, what's the point of saying anything? She's made it obvious that she doesn't feel the same way." As he continued to talk, his voice gradually lowered itself in volume until it was just above a whisper.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that, man," the partially-robotic Titan answered, a mischievous looking grin still on his lips. "I mean, she has been spending a lot of time with you... willingly."

"So, she's my friend," Beast Boy countered defensively, arms crossed in front of himself as he glared at his friend who stood behind the couch.

"Yeah, but she's also Raven," Cyborg pointed out the obvious, "and since when does Raven go out of her way to help every day?"

"Since a few weeks ago," the green male replied, half-turned so that he could face the other.

"Yeah, but that's just for you, BB," the taller of the two remarked, unfolding his arms in order to rest one hand on the top of the couch. "Explain that."

"It hasn't been just for me," he retorted rather firmly, although his hard tone was softening. "She's been working on the case, too."

"But that's her job. She's always done her job," Cyborg responded easily, his face set in a challenging expression, as if daring the other to try and make up some other excuse.

"... it still doesn't matter," Beast Boy said, relenting and turning back toward the large television screen.

"Man, she's got you training -and- researching, so you must have it bad," his partly-mechanical teammate stated as he started to walk toward the kitchen area. "Maybe even as bad as Robin," he added as an afterthought, noticing the speechless leader.

Hearing what his friend had said, the masked Titan suddenly went rigid, blush coming back full force (since it had faded over the past few minutes). Forcing himself to regain his composure, he tried to reply to his friend's remark, "I'm not –..."

The Boy Wonder had been cut off by the double doors parting and the two female Titans walking into the room. "We have returned from the mall of shopping," the redhead announced joyfully as she entered through the doors and made her way over toward the kitchen. "What are you preparing for the dinner meal, Robin?", she questioned, leaning slightly over the counter.

The aforementioned Titan had stiffly returned to cutting a vegetable in order to put it into a pot of boiling water when he had heard the girls walk in. So, he had his back to the Tamaranean when she approached and spoke with him. As she did, the conversation that had occurred in the room a few minutes ago flashed through his mind, causing his fading blush to once again grow redder. Since he did not trust himself with words at that moment, he remained silent and noticeably tense.

"Robin?", the alien girl asked with concern laden in her voice, "Are you not alright?"

Continuing with what he was doing, he took a large breath and forced himself to loosen up a little. "I'm fine, Starfire," he finally answered after several moments, although he never turned around.

Raven had walked in a few feet behind her friend and had come to a halt when she reached the middle of the room, looking a bit warily between all three of her male teammates. She had sensed a mild air of tension with them.

First, she glanced toward Beast Boy, who in turn shifted just enough to look back at her out of the corner of his eye before quickly returning to watching television. He seemed unusually nervous about something.

She then cast her vision toward Cyborg, who had been watching both scenes with interest. Within the next view moments, he turned to look at her, a noticeable hint of a smirk across his features. "What?", she asked rather tersely, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Nothin'," he replied, drawing out the word without his expression changing.

Giving him an unbelieving look, the cloaked Titan turned to walk wordlessly toward the kitchen area.

–

The temperature had dropped several degrees when the sun had gone down, which was especially noticeable at the wharf due to the breeze coming off of the waters. Beast Boy had been sent with Raven for patrol duties that night, and he had the feeling that Robin had paired them up on purpose. He had to remember to get him back for that later, maybe the next day... although he would probably take it better after the case was solved.

Regardless of how it had happened, he found himself walking beside the empath along a row of deserted pier warehouses. Arms behind his head, he kept pace with her as they searched the area. So far, nothing out of the ordinary. There had been a few people working on a pier that they had passed awhile back, but that had been a scheduled late night shipment. He knew that this was necessary to do, but after coming up with nothing night after night, patrolling was beginning to look less and less appealing.

"What happened this afternoon?", the cloaked female questioned, breaking the comfortable silence.

Startled slightly by what she had asked, it took the changeling a moment before coming up with an answer. "What do you mean?", he responded. "_Oh yeah, that was brilliant..._"

"Before dinner," she answered calmly, eyes still looking straight ahead.

"Oh... uh... nothing," came his reply, redirecting his gaze away from her.

"I doubt that," Raven responded as she pulled her cloak closer to her form, as if a bit chilled.

"Well, ya know, it was just Cyborg," he elaborated slightly, aiming to take it a step at a time. Still, he doubted he would ever get up enough courage to tell her exactly what the conversation had been about.

"So I noticed," came her reply, eyes still looking nowhere but ahead of her and the occasional side street that they passed. "_Why do I even care? I don't normally pry into others' lives... So why now?_", she questioned herself inwardly, a slight frown across her facial features.

Beast Boy saw the subtle change in her expression when he turned to look toward her. Tilting his head to the side, he asked, "You okay?"

Upon hearing his question, she blinked to bring herself out of her thoughts and chanced a glance his way. Having only heard his voice and not the exact words, she needed him to repeat himself. "What?", her tone was much less harsh than when she had been talking to Cyborg earlier that day.

"I asked if you were okay. You just looked upset," he responded simply enough, eyes never leaving her face.

"I'm fine," Raven answered crisply, returning her gaze to the streets ahead. However, she still felt his eyes watching her as they walked, causing a blush to begin spreading across her pale skin. Quickly, she pulled her hood up over her head in order to hide her reaction, as well as reprimand herself mentally. "_What's wrong with me? I can't be blushing because of him..._" As this happened, she felt a strand of power leak out from her grasp, followed by the cracking of a nearby window.

Deciding not to push any further, the shape-shifter looked away from her, only to look back up when he heard a cracking sound. Seeing that his teammate did not look at all concerned about it, he once again shifted his gaze away from her. Someday, he knew, he would have to get up enough courage to tell her...

–

He watched calmly as they passed by the building in which he sat, looking through a dusty window. They would not have been able to see him unless they intentionally stopped and peered inside, which was unlikely, seeing as how they were conversing with each other as they passed.

Several minutes of silence followed as he stared out of the window, waiting for them to be far enough along so that he could slip out unseen. In his hand, there was a crumpled piece of paper that looked as if it had been unfolded and refolded countless times. Glancing down at it, a smirk slowly tugged at the corners of his lips. The pieces were finally falling into place.

It had been awhile since this had all begun, but that was more than alright with him. He could be as patient as the situation called for him to be. In the end, his patience would only serve to benefit himself. Like this time, for instance. The past few weeks he had purposely kept from harming a more than a few people, just to see how the Teen Titans would react. He figured they would try and find the connection between all of his victims, but it was not something that was outstanding. They would have to do a bit of research for some of them. It certainly seemed that they were playing right into his hands.

Patrolling the streets at night provided him with a good opportunity to play his final card, so to speak. It did not matter that he had needed to watch for over a week to uncover who went where. He had seen the green one travel with a few of the others, but besides him, the other four Titans searched the same area every night. That was definitely useful information...

He had come a long way in the past month, and hopefully, it would all be over within the next few days. That in mind, he turned and moved noiselessly toward the exit. So far, all was going perfectly, and soon, it would all end perfectly.

–

There really should have been a hole in the floor of his room by now, he decided. After all, he had been pacing back and forth for many hours. In the process, he had managed to create a definite path, void of any of his usual mess.

He had tried to get some much needed rest, but his mind just did not seem to want to let him. It kept reminding him of the conversation he had with Cyborg and Robin, and then his later patrolling with Raven. The other two male Titans, or at least one, had oh-so-subtly hinted that the empath returned his feelings, and said female had acted rather odd that night. She seemed to have been bothered by him looking at her. "_And who can blame her,_" Beast Boy thought disappointedly, "_I would be annoyed if I kept staring at me..._"

Wait, had she been annoyed? What else could it have been? She looked more... flustered than annoyed, and there was that cracking window... Maybe, just maybe, Cyborg had been right... "_Nah... he couldn't be... but why else would he have said all that?_" His train of thought seemed rather jumpy, probably due to his lack of sleep and nourishment. "_... It can't be true... but what if...?_"

The changeling stopped suddenly in his tracks, standing up quite straight at the same time. He took a few deep breaths and then glanced at the clock. "_Seven o'clock? Dude, I really have been up all night... Guess I should get somethin' to eat..._" With that thought in his mind, he exited his room in order to head toward the kitchen. However, that was not the only thing on his mind... He had something else that he wanted to do.

–

She had awoken early that morning, for whatever reason. It was probably due to the fact that she was having trouble handling her emotions and thoughts. After her conversation with Starfire, things had been bad enough, but then Robin had sent her on patrol with the person in question. She felt as though she was losing control of her powers left and right. Sure, it was only a little bit at a time, but who knew how long that would last for. Things could escalate soon... She hoped she would have enough time to meditate for awhile. It was much needed right then.

There was also something else going on, which she had failed to mention to anyone as of yet. In her search for the "new" emotion in her mind, she was experiencing what she felt was a decline in her powers. It felt like they had started to fall further and further out of her grasp, but she dared not say anything before she was sure. It felt similar to the time when she had refused to admit that she was afraid and her powers had decided to manifest themselves in other ways. That had been sudden, but this was gradual. This emotion was certainly causing a her a great deal of difficulty.

Holding a warm cup of tea in her hands, she did not even turn as the doors to the common room swished open. That is, until she heard his voice...

"Morning, Raven," Beast Boy greeted, voice tired from lack of sleep. When she did not turn around or respond, he stopped a few feet behind her. He could not see her face; maybe she had fallen asleep. That was highly unlikely, however. "Raven?"

"Morning," she finally replied, although her voice sounded less than pleased.

Raising an eyebrow at her tone, he made his way over to the kitchen in order to make himself something to eat. He did not want to say anything to get her more upset than she already seemed to be.

She thought it unusual for him to be up so early, especially when he did not have to be. Having caught a glimpse of him as he had walked past the counter, she had noticed the circles under his eyes. Why was he so tired? Gently setting the cup down, she followed him with her eyes for a few moments before speaking up, "You're up earlier than usual."

"Couldn't sleep," came his simple response, not turning around to look toward her. "I had a lot on my mind."

"Ah," was all she said before taking another sip of her tea, although she was still watching him. Holding the cup lightly against her lips, she allowed herself to slowly inhale the steam in order to try and settle her nerves. Exhaling with a sigh, she diverted her gaze to the settling liquid in the small cup.

Evidently her sigh had been loud enough to hear, seeing as how Beast Boy turned his head slightly to look back at her. "You okay?", he asked, green eyes observing her carefully.

"Just fine," she answered, not looking up right away. Feeling his eyes still directed toward her, she shifted her gaze up to meet his. "What?"

"Nothin'... You just looked as if somethin' was up," he replied, turning back to what he had been doing a few moments previous.

"No, I just...," Raven paused, changing her line of vision so that she was looking out the window. "... have something on my mind," she finished quietly.

"Heh... know the feeling," the changeling laughed nervously, one arm bent behind his head. Stopping when she did not respond, he uneasily started searching for something to eat again. However, his movements had begun to get a little shaky, as though sincerely concerned about whatever it was that was on his mind.

Hearing some rather jittery movements, the empath looked back over at where her teammate was trying to grasp unsteadily at a few pans. Somehow, she sensed that she had something to do with his current behavior. Perhaps it was that little voice in the back of her head that kept trying to tell her how she really felt about her friend... Maybe it was trying to tell her that he felt the same way. She shook her head suddenly, driving the very notion from her thoughts. He was only a friend...

"Raven," the shape-shifter began, voice noticeably uneasy, "... I... I..." He tried to get the words out of his mouth, but they just did not seem to want to come.

His voice had called her back out of her thoughts, and his tone caused her to tense slightly. A nervous lump formed in her throat and she had to clasp her hands together in order to keep them from shaking. For whatever reason, she felt as though she knew what he was going to say and that voice in her head was practically screaming for her to listen to him. However, she kept telling herself that she could not accept it right then and that she never could, even if... "_No... it's impossible..._"

Meanwhile, Beast Boy was still struggling over the right words to say, not to mention actually getting himself to speak them aloud. "... I... just wanted... to...tell you... that...," he stammered, as if the air kept catching in his throat.

Rising abruptly from her seat, she pulled her cloak around her form and her hood up over her head. In some part of her mind, she noticed that she had effectively cut him short. "I can't," she informed, voice void of all emotion.

"... Huh?", he questioned, voice softer than usual. He turned fully toward her, only to notice that she had moved to stand in front of the large window with her back facing him.

"I know what you're going to say," she began, her body completely cloaked from sight, "and you know how I must answer." Her voice may have seemed unwavering, but she could feel herself starting to tremble at what she was saying. She forced herself to hide this from him, however. This was what she had to do, and she had to let him know that her decision was unchangeable.

"... but... Raven... you didn't even...," he started again, taking a small step in her direction. His whole form had began to quake slightly, trying to understand what was going on. Sure, he had not expected her to welcome his feelings with open arms, but to reject them so coldly... He thought that they had gotten past that.

She held firm, although she found it painful to be following through with her decision. However, was not her reason for choosing this path to avoid heartbreak? No, that was not an option. It could not happen, nor would she choose to admit that it was even a possibility. Either outlook seemed bleak, but perhaps to take the one which held less risk... but did it really? Where were all of these questions even coming from?

"It doesn't matter. I can't," she replied in the same tone as before, pulling the cloak a bit tighter around her form.

Beast Boy stood silent for several moments, eyes holding a complex mixture of emotions. Frustration, disbelief, rejection, irritation, and maybe even depression. He took a step back, and then another. A few seconds later, he turned and left the room without saying another word, only stopping to leave his communicator on the table. It appeared to be his way of saying that he did not wish to be bothered right then... as if this was something he needed to deal with on his own, at least for now.

Raven made no move to follow him, or to even watch as he walked out the doors. Nonetheless, through the window, she took notice of the form of her green teammate exiting the tower, and even then she was motionless.

–

Note: Well, what did you all think of that chapter? I really tried my best for the last scene... I wanted to handle it with special care. How do you all think I did?

**Tammy Tamborine** - Aww, thank you! I myself get impatient when it comes to a good story, and I hope this chapter was to your liking. Thanks so much for the review!

**Water and Fire** - Don't worry; your review did not come across in either of those ways. I'm glad to hear that you like the way I portray the characters, as I've tried my best with that aspect of the story. Thank you for the review!

**WickedWitchoftheSE** - I agree, two days at the beach can do wonders... maybe that is an idea I can sneak in for the epilogue or as part of a possible sequel? Hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for your review!

**Titanwolf** - I'm glad to see that you like the fic so much, makes it worth my time to know that there are those out there who are enjoying in it. Also, since you asked, I did put in an extra (unplanned) scene between BB and Rae, short as it may be... More are to come, I assure you. Thanks so much for the review!

**TDG3RD** - Yeah, they really were both in denial. Now, BB may have come to grips with it a bit, but Raven is still struggling... Thanks, again, for all of your reviews!

Note: Please R&R!


	9. Ch 8 Bloodstained Reality

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans, but I do own the idea for this fanfic.

Note: I'm giving you a forewarning right now: you may not like me too much at the end of this chapter, but please still read it? I put a lot of effort into this chapter, so I hope you all enjoy it... Any questions, feel free to e-mail me, okay? In fact, I encourage you to do so.

**Chapter 8: Bloodstained Reality**

When the other three Titans arrived in the common room, all was quiet. Raven had not moved from her place in front of the window, although she now appeared to be meditating. On the counter, a cup of cold tea sat, half empty. Last to be noticed was the communicator that lay off to the side of the table. It all seemed unmoving, as if the room had been frozen in time.

Starfire took in the scene with worried eyes before taking a tentative step forward, and then breaking the silence. "Raven," she began quietly, but did not continue when she felt someone lay a hand on her shoulder. Turning, she found the Boy Wonder shaking his head, wordlessly telling her not to say anything more.

Keeping his voice low, Robin stated his opinion, "It might be better to leave her alone right now." He removed his hand slowly from her shoulder, allowing it to linger for a few moments, possibly as a show of comfort for her concern or perhaps it was something else which he had yet to admit to himself. Then, the three left the room in order to talk quietly out in the hallway.

"I'll look over some evidence on my own," Cyborg offered, thus giving the empath the morning off.

"Sounds good. We'll head out to do some research," the masked Titan replied, thus volunteering for the Tamaranian as well.

However, she said nothing to the contrary and simply nodded her response before adding, "I just hope our friends are okay..." She voiced this in part because none of them wanted to bring up the possibilities of what could have occurred that morning. Best to wait until Raven offered up the information rather than pry for it.

No other words were exchanged as the three departed the tower, hoping that answers to their questions would come if they waited.

–

It was a cooler night than the last one, probably because it was windier. The day itself had been a bit chilly and overcast, which meant that there was a definite possibility of rain that night. Regardless of that, patrolling the city was still something that needed to be done, and so, she found herself once again walking around the wharf.

In all honestly, she felt that she owed a lot to her three friends for putting up with her that day. They had done this by leaving her alone, which was how she had wanted it. There was a lot of things that she had needed to think about, and that had required long sessions of meditation. Starfire may have initially tried to speak with her, but it had only been one time that morning and Robin had stopped her. None of them had said another word to her, except when it was she who initiated the conversation. Still, she had chosen not to fill them in on the early morning's event. They had known it involved Beast Boy somehow, seeing as he was nowhere to be found in the tower and had left his communicator on the table. Beyond that, they knew nothing about it.

She had not left the common room that morning, until the others had returned for lunch. Choosing to eat a meager meal in the privacy of her room, she had tried to escape from reality for a bit by reading a book. However, that had not worked. The idea of getting away from it all had only served to remind her of the very person she did not what to think about. Making another cup of tea had not helped, either, as it brought back memories of that morning's conversation. Thus, she had once again found herself meditating, yet even that failed to help her. Most of her emotions had refused to say a word to her concerning the situation, unless she confronted the one she refused to admit was there again. In other words, she had not made much progress in confronting any of her problems that morning, whether it dealt with her powers or Beast Boy.

When it had been time to go on patrol, the missing Titan had still not returned. Despite wanting to focus on the case, the cloaked female had begun to grow worried, although she chose not to voice her concern. Starfire had vocalized her similar feelings many times that day as it was. Nonetheless, she had found herself going over the different possibilities in her mind, most of them becoming a worst case scenario. After all, it was doubtful that he had eaten anything after they got back from patrolling the night before, so he had left on an empty stomach. It was also unlikely that he had taken any money with him to buy anything to eat, so he was probably quite hungry by now. When would she see him again?

Biting her lip as an outward sign of her concern, Raven pulled the cloth of her cloak closer to her body. Her whole form was tense and oddly anxious, although she tried her hardest to suppress it. Why was she reacting to his disappearance this way?

A familiar voice began in her mind, "_Because you l–..._"

"_Shut up,_" she immediately cut it off, not wanting to even begin arguing with herself right then.

"_But Raven,_" it started again, imploringly.

Gritting her teeth outwardly, the empath replied in an irritated tone, "_I said, shut up!_" All was silent after that. It seemed that not even her own emotions dared to speak out against her when she was aggravated.

She stopped in the middle of a street, taking a few moments to recollect herself and calm down before continuing on her search. It was a bit difficult to put forth her best efforts right then, considering her current inner conflict. Sure, her emotions were all quiet, but that did not mean that she did not question herself. All day she had been arguing mentally, constantly inquiring as to why she had not even heard him out when inwardly she had wanted to. She had wanted to hear those words... "_No, I didn't... I couldn't have..._" So, what was it inside her that had tried to encourage her to listen? It had to have been that troublesome emotion, but she refused to hear _her_ out. The last time that had happened she had ended up in a great deal of pain.

"_But he was the one that was there for you that time,_" that annoying voice whispered, tentatively venturing to speak out once more.

"_... it doesn't matter... I can't,_" Raven held her ground, although she at least thought more than two words this time.

"_Why not? He understands_," the voice persisted, gaining a bit more confidence.

"_What makes you so sure?_", she asked, already knowing what its answer would be.

"_You were there when he went through it himself,_" came the foreseen reply.

"_Still...,_" she trailed off briefly, "_... just leave me alone._"

There came no response, and she left the conversation at that. She did not wish to dwell on the subject anymore, although she was aware of how difficult that would be.

Nonetheless, she managed to get her mind off of _him_, but the next topic was almost as troubling. It was her powers. She had still failed to say anything to the other three concerning her powers' decline, and now, she found, things had worsened. Cyborg had driven her to the wharf in the T-car that night before going to his assigned area. She had used the excuse that she did not feel like levitating that night, and true to what she had expected, he did not question her. (This was most likely because of the day's events.) The truth of the matter was that she could barely summon enough power to hover a few inches above the ground, even when focused. It almost felt as if something, or someone, was holding them out of her reach. She had once thought that perhaps this was connected to her current situation with Beast Boy, but as quickly as it had come to mind, she shoved it aside.

Pulling her hood up over her head as an additional wind swept by her, Raven forced herself to continue her search, albeit she was still distracted by her confusing thoughts.

–

It had gotten a lot colder since the sun had set, Beast Boy decided. He began to wish he had thought to bring a coat or jacket of some sort, but he would allow himself to return to the tower for one. She would be out on patrol right now anyway, but what is she should come back early? He could not risk running into her just yet; he was not ready.

There it was again. That pain in his chest. Ah yes, he remembered this feeling from a long time ago, but it had eventually subsided for the most part. He could only hope that this time around it would be the same. It would be very prominent for awhile, he knew, but maybe if he could still remain friends with her... that would be enough.

"_Who am I kiddin'? I can't hope to go back to what we were,_" he mentally berated himself. "_I shouldn't have said anything. I should've just kept my big mouth shut, at least then I would still have her as a friend... That would've been better than this..._"

His stomach growled loudly to let him know how hungry he was, but he ignored it as he had done since he left that morning. He had no money to buy food nor did he care to stop and beg. That was not important right then. What was important was that he try to recollect himself enough to eventually return to the tower. He could not and would not desert his friends like that, even if it meant being so close yet so far from the one who had rejected him.

"_She wouldn't even listen,_" he stated mentally with an air of agitation. "_... no, I can't blame her for my stupid mistakes, that would only make things even worse...,_" he continued, tone growing softer at those thoughts.

Kicking at a loose pebble, he watched disinterestedly as it hopped, skipped, and jumped along the broken sidewalk. Broken, like his heart was right then. How he wished he could go back in time and not say anything. "_No,_" he reprimanded himself immediately, "_it needed to be said. I just don't like how things turned out._"

He kicked at the pebble again, sighing outwardly as he watched it move. He could faintly see his breath, so it must've been colder than he originally thought. Maybe he was becoming numb to it by then, who knew. As much as he did not care about it right then, he knew that it would be best to find somewhere to get out of the cold, even if only for a short while.

Looking up from the ground, he quietly surveyed the area and noticed that all the nearby shops and other businesses were closed down for the night. Of course, there was not much in this part of the city anyway, seeing as how he was right on the outskirts of it. However, he did catch sight of a rundown hotel. Perhaps he could just wait in the lobby for an hour or so? After that, he could start the long trek back to the tower and hopefully arrive by sunrise. Having made that decision, he began to walk slowly in the direction of the rickety-looking building.

As he moved closer, his thoughts wandered to another familiar topic, aside from his heartbreak. He began to think over the consequences of what had happened. According to Raven, he had made a lot of progress in the past two weeks, and without the conversation that morning, it would have been likely for him to have gotten over his conversion(1), as she called it, within a reasonable amount of time. Now it looked like it would be a long while before he was able to shape-shift again. Or would it? He did not deny what had happened that morning, nor did he aim to avoid it or trivialize its importance. This left him unsure. Although he was still making headway when it came to coping with the case, would that be at all affected by his new emotional state? Probably, even if they were not directly related. He felt like such a mess right then, mentally and physically.

He sighed once more, this time inwardly, and began to rub his arms in order to restore some warmth to them. Thankfully, he was not too far from the hotel now... There may not have been heating, but at least he could find some shelter from the wind.

Finally approaching what he thought was the main entrance, he lifted a stiff gloved fist to knock on the door. However, he paused about an inch away from the chipped, wooden door when he thought he heard voices coming from within. Maybe this was someone's room? Looking up and down the row of other doors on the outside of the building, he did not feel up to checking every one of them. He wanted to be sure that this was not the lobby before he checked elsewhere. So, he noiselessly pressed a pointed, green ear against the door to listen in on the conversation that was taking place on the other side.

"Tonight's supposed to be the last one," he heard a gruff voice speak up, seemingly somewhere at the far corner of the room.

The changeling heard footsteps walk heavily across the wooden floor, stopping a few feet away from the door. "He must be a real mental case," the owner of the footfalls stated in a sneering tone, "I mean, going after one of the Titans like that."

Beast Boy had to keep himself from gasping out loud and blowing his cover. "_After one of us? Could they be talking about...?_" His train of thought was cut short when a third person broke in.

"He _is_ a mental case, that's what makes this all so easy for us," the man crowed in a deep voice. "He's done all the work for us."

"Yeah, and they never could catch him," the first voice sounded again, "He's given them the slip every time so far."

"This time they'll pay for what they've done, and we don't even have to lift a finger," the third one gloated. The shape-shifter heard a noise that sounded like flesh hitting flesh, which most likely meant that he had pounded his fist against the palm of his other hand. "How is he sure he can get this one?"

"You kiddin'?", the second voice jumped in, "He's only been watchin' them for the past few weeks. He knows exactly where each one patrols."

The green Titan felt his blood begin to run cold. It was easy to figure out who the three men were talking about, not to mention he recognized each voice from somewhere or other. The serial killer... They had to have been linked to him and he was going after one of his teammates that night, or himself. Knowing that he needed to find out which Titan they were referring to, he continued to bide his time, forcing himself to remain silent even if he wanted to take off right then.

One of the room's occupants started walking around again, but it was not the same person as before. "So," the third voice started, pacing around, "why wait so long?"

"He would've struck last night," answered the one with a sneering tone, who seemed to be the most knowledgeable of the three, "but the green one was with her."

Beast Boy jumped back from the door as if suddenly scalded, heart feeling as though it had just stopped in his chest. "_...no... Raven..._," his mind could only formulate those two words as he moved several steps away from where he had been standing, breath catching in his throat. There was no time to deal with the three men right then, so he glanced at the door, making sure to remember which one it was, before she dashed off in the direction he had come from. Whether they heard him leaving or not, he was not sure, but no one pursued him. One thing he was thankful for was that he had walked by the wharf that morning, so he knew exactly how to get back to that area.

His heart was pounding and his adrenaline was pumping, almost deafening his ears. Hunger long since forgotten, he pressed forward, running faster than even he knew he could. Fear gripped his heart and held fast. His breathing quickly grew heavily labored, but that did not matter in the least. His adrenaline kept him going, and he refused to allow himself to give in so soon.

He had to reach her before the unthinkable happened. It was not that he doubted her ability to defend herself, but he could not take the chance. Even when he had left that morning, he had still been aware of the fact that she was struggling inwardly, even if it was just a little. He knew her powers were affected by her emotions, so if something was wrong, who knew how much or how little power she would have access to. He could not and would not take that chance. There was no question in his mind; he had to find her, even if she ended up being able to handle it all herself.

Unfortunately for him, he remembered that he had left his communicator sitting in the common room. That decision came back to haunt him right then. If he had taken it, he would have been able to contact the others, who would certainly be able to get to the wharf faster than him. However, if he had taken it with him, they might have convinced him to return to the tower before now and he never would have overheard such a vital conversation. Either way, he was on his own for the time being. If he happened to come across one of his teammates, he would quickly seek their aid, but he did not have the time to go out looking for them. The killer could have left at any time and thus, could be anywhere at that very moment.

Despite the cold, Beast Boy could feel sweat beginning to form from all of the running he was doing. He was starting to feel short of breath, but he still refused to stop. The muscles in his legs began to ache and his throat was beginning to burn from the rate at which he was inhaling the chilled air. He ignored it, setting his mind on the task that was at hand.

A thought occurred to him as he dashed through the streets. Even though he did not wish for the conversation he had heard to be real, he had to accept it and try to put a stop to what was being planned. He did not want it to be reality, but nonetheless, he knew it was. "_The murders were all real... they happened, and I can't change that... It's all real...,_" the changeling tried to drill this into his head, repeating the last phrase several times. The case was real and he had to accept that, as well as the fact that Raven was in danger. If he did not come to grips with it, he would not be able to regain his shape-shifting ability, and worse still, he might not be able to help save her...

Eyes narrowed against the blowing wind, he concentrated hard and tried to imagine himself becoming an animal, any animal. Still, nothing happened. "_It's all real. I know it is,_" he firmly admitted mentally, hoping that a breakthrough would occur. Something had to happen, or else... No, he would not even allow himself to think about it. That was one reality he was unwilling to live in; one where Raven no longer existed... He _had_ to do something, anything... Again he tried, but nothing changed. He could not give up...

Fear tightened its grip, reminding him even more how urgent the matter was. He could hear his rapid footfalls thud loudly against the ground, still he put more effort into each quick step.

Beast Boy was no longer aware of time, only that he had grown quite close to the wharf, although he was not quite sure of how he had gotten there so quickly.

Just a little further and another try...

–

The empath could feel another argument with herself coming on. Rubbing her temples to try and drive away a headache, she exhaled an exasperated sigh as she continued on with her patrolling, trying to ignore a nagging voice within her mind.

"_Okay, Raven,_" it began, determination in its tone, "_I think you know perfectly well who I am by now._"

"_I do?_", she questioned, disinterest heavy in her voice.

"_Yes,_" the voice answered. "_I'm Love._"

"_... as if that wasn't obvious...,_" the girl replied sarcastically.

Love was only quiet for a moment before continuing, "_At least you admit that I'm here... and I know you know why I am._"

"_Look,_" Raven started, irritation evident in that one word, "_I'm no where near my mirror, so it should be obvious that I don't want to talk to you._"

"_Too bad_," the emotion replied firmly, "_because I need to talk to you. About Beast Boy._"

Allowing herself to sigh outwardly, the empath asked with a hint of impatience, "_Are you trying to tell me that he is the reason you're back?_"

"_I told you that you knew why I was here,_" Love said a bit more cheerily. "_Of course it is because of him._"

"_Not interested,_" the Titan responded, pulling her cloak tighter around herself as the wind began to blow harder.

"_Yes, you are,_" the complex emotion countered, "_I know you trust him, just like you did back then._"

"_This is different,_" Raven answered, passing by an alleyway still heavily immersed in her own thoughts.

"_Why,_" Love questioned, "_... because instead of trusting him to understand your heart, you're trusting him -with- your heart?_"

Before the cloaked female even had a chance to respond, a sharp gasp passed through her lips as she felt a sudden sharp pain in her side, which soon spread across her stomach. This caused her to reflexively grasp her side and take a step back in pain, only to bump into someone else, whose arm wrapped itself around her waist.

Suddenly, a sweet-smelling cloth was suddenly placed over her mouth and nose as she continued to breathe heavily from the pain in her side. She began to struggle despite her situation, but her movements started to slow and her eyelids slid shut.

She had been an easy target without her powers...

–

Letting out a low moan, Raven forced her eyes to open, unsure of where she was or how much time had lapsed since she had been knocked out. There was only a small amount of light wherever she currently was, but she was able to make out a large form looming a few feet in front of her and a yellow object laying by their feet. Great, they had taken away her communicator. Attempting to move, she felt a surge of pain coming form her side, where a rough rope was cutting into an open wound. With the pain, memories of the few seconds before she passed out came flooding back to her, although this also came with the knowledge that she was in great danger.

Trying to move once more, she found her legs were tied, like her arms. There was also something stuck across her mouth, probably to keep her from speaking the words which helped to activate her powers. Not that she could right then if she wanted to...

"You're awake," the figure spoke from the shadows, voice laced with what Raven felt was sick pleasure. She could now tell that the other person was male. "Good."

She struggled again, only to have the ropes cut deeper into her sides. Still, she narrowed her violet eyes in a threatening glare aimed at her captor.

Evidently, he ignored her expression, since he began talking again. "You might be wondering why I went through the trouble of knocking you out, seeing as it would have been just as easy to stab you while you were in your own world," the masculine voice started, still seeming too entertained with the whole situation in the Titan's opinion. "It's simple really...," he added, taking a step in her direction.

Raven persisted in her glaring, watching his movements like a hawk. All she could make out right then was that he had dark hair, was decently well built, and held a slim object in his right hand.

"... I wanted you to be awake when I killed you, to feel the pain," he finished icily, moving down to stare straight into her still-defiant eyes. Holding the knife up so that she could see it, a deadly smirk spread across his facial features that matched the lust for murder in his dark eyes. Then, without warning, he stabbed the blade into her other side, being careful not to slice the ropes as he did so.

Another wave of pain flooded her body, but her only reaction was to tightly shut her eyes in attempt to block out the pain. She knew she could survive those wounds. The second one had pierced her side, but with only one edge of the blade.

Upon feeling him rip the sharp object away from her form, now surely dripping with her blood, she began to feel uncertain. That had only been a warning, but what about the next time?

Reopening her eyes, she took notice that, to her horror, he was poised to strike again. This time, the knife was positioned about a foot away from her heart...

–

Note: (Dodges random objects that could be thrown at her after such a cliff-hanger) Sorry about that, but it all had to happen! Really! I hope that, despite the ending, you all still liked the chapter...? Remember, the reason why Raven was so easy to attack was because of her loss of power and the conflict going on between her and her emotions... I hope that seems realistic. I tried my best with this chapter... The next chapter should be up soon!

(1) conversion - subconscious conversion of stress into physical symptoms (definition found at http // changingminds . org / explanations / behaviors / coping / coping . htm ... so I didn't make it up!)

**Tammy Tamborine** - Glad you liked the last chapter, and I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long for this part! Thank you for the review!

**WickedWitchoftheSE** - Hmm... I definitely think I'll have BB get them back for it... Hehehe... Still, I needed it to come out to move the storyline along, unfortunately... Thanks so much for the review!

**Water and Fire** - I try to write the characters as in-character as I can, while still putting them in the situations that I've created, so... from what you say, it seems like I'm doing an okay job. I'm glad you liked the last scene! It was hard for me to write, and I also felt bad for BB... Thank you for the review!

**SxstrngSamurai13** - Wow, I was flattered by your long review! I especially appreciate you commenting on how I paced the relationship. It seems that it has come across how I wanted it to. In other words, not too fast but realistic. The introspection is something I've definitely worked on a lot, seeing as how one of my own characters (which I created for my own storyline) is extremely introspective sometimes. This chapter was full of information to some of the topics you brought up in your review, so I hope you like it! Also, I'm glad you like how I've written it out so far (at least up to this chapter), and I can't thank you enough for the review!

**TDG3RD** - Yeah, Raven was a bit harsh, wasn't she? Still, you're right again. I tried to convey that what she said and did -was- difficult for her... I tried to have the conversation be hard on the both of them. Also, I had attempted to put some humor in the conversation between the three guys, and it seems it worked (at least some). I loved writing Robin's reactions; I just couldn't resist... Thanks you so much for another review!

Note: Please R&R! (Also, I am once again asking for three reviews before I update again, alright?)


	10. Ch 9 Knife's Blade

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. Sigh...

Notes: Okay, here it is! It's only been about four days, but I know that was a horrible cliffhanger. Hope you all enjoy this chapter!

**Chapter 9: Knife's Blade**

Slowly, she bit her lip, watching the man in front of her as he pulled the knife back, getting ready to begin its descent. The moments felt like hours, and during those moments, the empath tried several times to summon even a small bit of her powers. This was to no avail. She felt the blood pounding in her ears as she saw the sharp object begin to draw closer, starting its plunge.

Something sounded off to her right, something like padded paws against pavement, but she could not bring herself to look away from the blade of the knife. That is, until her assailant was suddenly shoved to the ground, a dark form effectively pinning him on his back. Turning toward where they had landed, she blinked to clear her vision, and to her surprise, saw that what had saved her was a green jaguar.

His front paws were pressing down unyielding on her attacker's shoulders while his back paws were firmly placed on the other's legs, causing him to be in a somewhat crouched position. His mere weight made it hard for the killer to move. Head lowered toward the man's face, the animal growled dangerously, beginning to bare its teeth as if daring the man to make a move.

Unfortunately, the brown-haired man shifted his right arm just enough so that he could reach up, the knife tightly in his hand. It seemed that he had been able to regain his composure fairly quickly for someone in his position. Without waiting, he moved to try and strike the big cat in its side. Although he was unsuccessful in completing a full-fledge stab wound, he did manage to create a gash across the jaguar's rib cage.

In response, the animal let out a loud cry of surprise mixed with pain and jumped back. However, in doing so, the claws on his left front paw dug in and trailed across the man's right upper arm, effectively tearing through some of the muscle that was there as well as eliciting a shout of pain from him.

Due to this injury, the human male was forced to release his grip on the bloodied knife and allow it to fall off to the side. Unable to put any pressure on his right arm, he shifted his weight to his left one and both of his legs as he tried to scoot backward, away from the obviously angry animal. His feet scuffed the ground noisily, but he found himself struggling to stand up due to his current condition. He knew he had to get far enough away from the green cat before he had enough time to get to his feet, seeing as how it would take him several precious seconds which he did have the luxury of right then. This was not to mention the fact that his mind was racing everywhere at once, so that made it a bit hard to focus.

Moving back a few steps himself, the jaguar suddenly shifted easily back into his human form, clutching the bloody gash to his left side with his right hand. That did not seem to change his intentions, however. Beast Boy's green eyes were narrowed threatening and his teeth were still gritted together, a low growling sound seeming to come from the back of his throat. He did not change into another animal. No, this fight had become far too personal for that.

Without a word, he stepped forward and bending slightly, reached down with his free hand to grab the larger man's shirt in a tight fist. Pulling the other up to his eye level, the changeling allowed his words to come out in a foreboding hiss, "How dare you..." His grip tightened noticeably as he stared the man down, teeth remaining bared.

The culprit tried to regain his footing, but found it difficult seeing as how he was being held at just the right angle so that everything but the heels of his feet was off the ground. Nonetheless, his mind told him he needed to try and get away from the Titan who was currently threatening him. Thus, he made a last ditch effort and swung a punch with his left hand, aimed for the shape-shifter's face.

It connected, but Beast Boy failed to flinch. The punch had been weak because of the fact that the man had not been able to put his whole body behind it. Despite that, a trickle of blood started to trail away from his mouth, yet he paid it no heed. Instead, he reacted by lifting his bloodied right hand away from his open wound, making it into a tight fist, and using it to send a hard punch right into the other's jaw. At the same time, he released his hold on the man's shirt, allowing him to go flying backward, right into several half-empty aluminum trash cans.

The trash cans fell over and the killer lay sprawled out on top of them, blood dripping heavily from his mouth. It appeared that the punch had been powerful enough to break his jaw and temporarily knock him out.

Keeping a watchful eye on him for a few moments, the changeling stood still, unmoving. Then, seemingly satisfied, he turned to look toward his still captive teammate, eyeing her with concern. Ignoring his own injury, he moved to kneel down in front of her, a noticeable frown across his features upon seeing the wounds she had received.

Reaching off to his left, he grabbed a familiar yellow object, Raven's communicator. After pressing a button to call the others to their location, he laid it down next to her. He knew it would take them five to ten minutes before arriving, seeing as how they were all off in different corners of the city. Then, wordlessly, he used his left hand to remove the tape that was stuck to her face, keeping her from making any noise. He did this gently, since the adhesive was unwilling to let go easily.

That only took a minute or so, but it seemed that during that time, his true condition was beginning to show through. His breathing was quite labored and, due to the close proximity that they were in, Raven noticed that he was paler than usual. This made the dark circles under his eyes even more noticeable. He was obviously exhausted. More than likely, this was caused by his lack of food and sleep, she reasoned.

"... you're alive," he murmured as if he was saying it to reassure himself, relief evident in his voice. When he had been removing the tape, he had allowed his fingers to linger momentarily against her pale cheeks before pulling away. It did not occur to him at the moment that the girl had failed to even try to pull away at the touch. He was much more focused on the fact that he had managed to get there before... well, he did not even what to think about it at the moment. It had not happened, and that is what mattered.

The changeling opened his mouth as if to say something else but stopped short when he saw the other Titan's eyes suddenly widen. Her gaze was directed at something behind him, but before he could fully turn to see what it was, a fresh new pain began to flood his whole left side.

Without warning, at least to those outside of herself, the empath's eyes began to glow white and a surge of power burst forth from her body, stopping time right at that instant. Everything simply stood still, except for herself.

Breathing heavily as her eyes returned to their normal violet shade, Raven took a moment to take in all that had just happened. She had seen the form of the other man hovering just behind her green teammate, knife in hand. (How he had gotten there so fast or without either of them hearing him was unknown to her, but that did not matter now.) Her breath had caught in her throat, disabling her ability to speak. It was at that moment, where the sharp blade of the knife neared its target, that a sudden realization had suddenly struck her. The fear that gripped her heart right then felt greater than when her own life had been threatened. Perhaps, this was because she had foolishly thought before that he would not have cared, seeing as she had given him the pain of rejection. Regardless of why, all she knew was that in that instant, his life became more valuable to her than her own. Then, something had snapped and caused time to stop.

The knife was stuck a few inches into Beast Boy's previous wound, having gone a little left of its target when he had begun to turn around. She had to remove the blade first, then worry about the enemy. However, first things first, she had to unbind herself.

The female Titan felt faint from all of the blood she had lost thus far, but she refused to let that slow her down right then. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos," she whispered and focused her power on the ropes that surrounded her arms and legs, soon feeling the rough material fall away from her form. With that done, she unsteadily rose to her feet, taking care to not make the wound in her side bleed anymore than it was. Feeling slightly dizzy, the placed her left hand on the wall to brace herself for the moment.

Then, shifting her gaze toward the offending object, she murmured the three words again and allowed power to slip out of her right hand and consume it, pulling it out of her teammate's flesh carefully while also removing the handle from the culprit's grip. When it was safely away from Beast Boy, she moved the weapon off to the side and let it fall to the ground.

Now, on to the last task at hand: taking care of her attacker. Once again speaking her usual words, the cloaked Titan sent power from her fingertips to the man's chest, forcing him back against the wall with a resounding thud. He would be feeling that when time resumed. To make sure that he would not be able to get away, she formed a wall out of her powers with the simple wave of a hand. It was in the shape of a half-circle, holding the killer firmly against the hard brick wall with barely any room to move. Unless he had powers of his own, which was definitely not the case, he would be trapped there until she let him out or until she passed out.

Starting to feel blood slide off of her leotard and onto the skin of her legs, she tightened the material of her cloak around her wounds, hoping not to worry her teammate any further. After all, he was bleeding badly as well. The empath moved to kneel in front of Beast Boy before allowing time to begin again.

It was as if he blinked and it was over. There had not even been time for a significant cry of pain to pass over his lips. One moment, there had been a knife going through his side and now the wielder of that weapon was effectively pinned against the wall, trapped there by Raven's power. Although obviously confused, the man was struggling as best as he could, but it was to no avail. Looking toward his friend, the green Titan noticed her gazing worriedly toward where he felt his injury was located. She was no longer bound by any ropes and it looked as though she had bled even more, seeing as how her blue cloak had even larger stains of the crimson liquid. Something similar had happened before, when he felt like it was all over in a mere second. Had she stopped time again?

The changeling was jerked out of his thoughts when she took hold of the bottom of her cloak and began to tear a strip off from the rest of the garment.

Sitting up a little more, the female Titan reached out and wordlessly slid the piece of cloth around his back. Careful to minimize the pain, she pulled it against the open wound and tied the ends together around the right side of his form. "That should help a little with the bleeding," she murmured, still not looking up to meet his gaze.

Apparently, that was not all she intended to do, since she began to move a hand toward the injury with a slight glow emitting from it. However, before she could use any more of her power, he placed his clean gloved hand over hers and gently pushed it away. "No," he began, having to look down at her since her head was drooping forward, "save your power." It was obvious from his tone that he was more concerned for her well being than his own.

She was silent for several seconds, not moving at all. Then, she replied with noticeable determination, "Beast Boy, you're–..."

"I'll live," he cut her off, a hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his lips despite the pain he was in at that moment. "You've lost a lot of blood," he added after several seconds, eyes once again focused on the growing stain on her cloak.

"I'll heal," was her brief answer, not directly replying to what he had said. Then, without warning, she leaned in closer, resting her head against his shoulder almost tentatively. She said nothing.

Blinking in surprise at her action, he was initially unsure of how to react. Sure, she had hugged him before, but somehow, this felt different. "Raven...?", he asked, tone showing his uncertainty as well as his concern.

"... you're alive," came her response, far softer than was usual for her. Without another word, she wrapped her arms loosely around him, being mindful of the wounds he had received in the past several minutes. She continued to lose blood, and thus, she was beginning to feel herself growing more and more faint. That could have been part of the reason for why she was reacting the way she was, but she admitted to herself that there was more to it than that. She could only hope that her earlier rejection of him did not change how he felt. Although, she was quite doubtful that it had. However, why did it have to take something so drastic for her to finally acknowledge why one of her most extreme emotions had shown up once again? She could not deny it anymore. Next time, they might not be as lucky...

He blinked once at her answer but did not say anything in reply. Instead, he chose to wrap his own arms around her form, both to comfort her and reassure himself that she was in fact there. Although he remembered her earlier rejection of him, it was becoming quite clear that her actions had been a cover up. He understood, though. After having his heart broken, it was difficult for him to admit that those type of feelings were returning, albeit for a different person.

When he moved to return the embrace, he felt her begin to relax a little, although it worried him that her loss of blood would soon render her unconscious. Speaking of which, he himself was beginning to finally feel the effects of his exhaustion. Up until then, the adrenaline pumping through his body had kept him going in such a time of crisis. Now that things were settling down, his body was not producing those natural chemicals anymore. Thus, he began to grow quite tired and slouched forward.

Feeling this, the empath looked up from where her head rested on the his shoulder to take note of his growing fatigue. "Beast Boy?", she asked, watching a smile slowly become more apparent on his lips.

"Ya know," the shape-shifter began a bit awkwardly, "I never did get to tell you what I wanted to..." He met her violet gaze with his green eyes for a few seconds before turning to rest his forehead against her shoulder.

She continued to hold him, trying to put off her own faintness from blood loss. One of them had to keep consciousness until one of their friends arrived. "And?", Raven finally voiced, as though she had been waiting for him to finish, although she did have some idea about what he was going to say.

"Heh...," the changeling breathed, a smile still on his slow moving lips. "That I...," he continued, although it seemed that he was fading quickly from lack of energy, "... love you..." As soon as he had whispered the last word, his whole form went limp against her.

Turning her head to look over at him, she allowed a small smile of her own to grace her features, despite the pain and fatigue that was causing her muscles to ache. She knew that she could not keep this up much longer, but...

"Raven!", a familiar voice sounded from the end of the alleyway, concern and worry heavy in that one word.

Shifting to look over at the newly arrived Titan, the cloaked female felt her eyes become half-lidded as she slowly leaned backward along with Beast Boy, soon resting against the brick wall that was a few inches behind her. "Starfire," she started, voice soft and letting the other know that its owner was slowly slipping into unconsciousness, "it was... him..." Her violet eyes then closed as she blacked out.

At the same time, the assailant found himself released from his temporary prison and fell to his knees, a bit surprised by the sudden disappearance of the wall. Unfortunately for him, the Tamaranian had readily heeded her teammate's warning and landed softly on the ground behind him. She could have simply fired a warming shot to make him stay in place, but she did not know if he was still armed or not. So, leaning down and taking advantage of the man's slight disorientation, she grabbed both of his wrists, careful of the horrible injury on his upper right arm.

He tried to pull out of her grip while muttering unintelligible words, but her alien strength easily prevented him from breaking free.

Behind him, the redhead's eyes were glowing a dangerous green, although she knew better than to attack him. No more offenses actions were needed, and killing him would not be the answer. However, this did not keep her from speaking at least a few of her thoughts. "So, you are the one who caused all this badness to happen, and then you hurt my friends...," her anger was evident in her voice, although her tone grew softer as she spoke the last word.

Eyes returning to normal, she glanced worriedly toward her two friends, noting that time was currently not on their side. Thankfully, it was at that moment that she heard the distinct sound of the R-cycle's engine, followed shortly by that of the T-car. In the few short seconds that followed, both Robin and Cyborg quickly rounded the corner to the alleyway. They stopped a few feet away, wide eyes taking in the scene around them.

"Starfire," the masked leader began, eyes shifting from his badly injured teammates to the Tamaranian who had an unfamiliar man in her grasp, "what happened?" He looked hard at the likely attacker, who was still speaking unintelligibly under his breath. It seemed that he had convinced himself that any struggling would only put him in more pain. Smart move.

"I do not know, except that this man hurt our friends," she replied, the last part of her answer coming out in a harsher tone than was characteristic for her. After a few moments, she added, "I think they are simply passed out. Raven was awake upon my arrival."

"They both need medical attention, and fast," Cyborg stated the obvious, resting on one knee beside both of the unconscious Titans.

"Alright," Robin started, in the tone he always used when he was giving out orders, although this time around there was an apparent note of concern. "Cyborg, take Beast Boy in the T-car, and Starfire, you take Raven. I'll wait here for the police."

The partially-robotic male nodded as he reached out to pick up the changeling, being careful of his injuries as well as the empath's. "I radioed them on the way here, so they should be here soon," he stated, straightening back up.

"Good," the leader responded, moving to take the Tamaranian's place as she moved toward the unconscious female. For some reason, the man he had a hold of had become oddly quiet, but that would be something to question later. It was evident that Raven had been the one who had been the target, since this was her patrolling area. Judging by the discarded ropes and piece of tape, this had been planned by someone who knew she could not summon most of her powers without saying a few words beforehand. That left one question: how had Beast Boy known where to find her? The masked Titan doubted that it was just a coincidence.

Bending down, Starfire gently wrapped the blue cloak around the other female Titan's form, hoping to apply at least a minimum amount of pressure to the wounds for the time being. She lifted her easily into her arms and began to hover a few feet off of the ground, all the while gazing down at her friend's relaxed features. When Raven had looked up after she had arrived, those same features had been mildly contorted from pain, although the redhead was sure she had been hiding most of it.

It was then that the three Titans could hear sirens blaring nearby, obviously headed toward their current location.

"Go," Robin ordered. Then, he watched wordlessly as both Cyborg and Starfire left the alleyway, one by air and the other by land. He figured they would take the two unconscious team members back to the tower. After all, they had the right medical supplies to tend to the wounds and familiar surroundings when they woke up would probably be more settling. He unconsciously gripped the guy's wrists tighter out of frustration for all he had put them through, only noticing this when the other male let out a grunt of pain. Relaxing his grip to where it had previously been, he watched thankfully as several police vehicles pulled into sight. It would be easier to ask questions with others present...

–

Note: Alright, what do you all think? This chapter was a bit difficult since I had to take a few characters somewhat out of character while still keeping them in character. That make sense? I know there are still loose ends and unanswered questioned, but that will be taken care of in the next chapter. Anyway, only one more chapter to go and then the epilogue... After that, on to a new fic, but I will miss this one... Oh yeah! I seriously need a beta reader; ya know, just someone to proofread my chapters before I officially post them. If you're interested, let me know via e-mail or review. Thanks!

**Tammy Tamborine**: I know the time between updates was longer this time, but I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks for the review!

**rovak**: I have a very difficult time killing off series characters. In fact, I don't think I've ever done it, so it's highly unlikely. Thank you for the good review!

**WickedWitchoftheSE**: Yeah, sorry about that cliffhanger... but the chapter was one of my longer ones and I needed somewhere to end it. Hope this chapter came out soon enough and thank you for the review!

**SxStrngSamurai13**: I know there are still some questions left unanswered, especially about the murderer and whatnot... Answers will come in the next chapter, I assure you. I noticed that I seem to write a lot of introspective times with the characters... I guess it helps me add in details. I feel like Beast Boy gets out of character sometimes, but I try my best to keep him as in-character as I can... Raven's realization about her feelings (or rather the beginning of) was sort of a fluke in some ways, so I'm glad you liked it. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and thanks so much for your review!

Note: Please R&R! (Once again, three reviews before I update, okay?)


	11. Ch 10 Questions and Answers

Disclaimer: Me no own Teen Titans... Darn it...

Note: I apologize for the long wait, but the chapter is the longest one yet so hopefully that makes up for it? Enjoy!

**Chapter 10: Questions and Answers**

The purring of the engine beneath him seemed to calm his tense muscles, despite the fact that he was having his own race against time. This may not have been a life or death situation but it was important to the case. If word got out about the arrest, it would be all over the news. He could not have that happen just yet. Hopefully, he could get there before any reporters got wind of it. Feeling the need to go faster, he upped the speed on his R-cycle, racing quickly for the outskirts of the city. Behind him, a cop car followed, barely keeping up with the more maneuverable machine.

It had not been easy, Robin recollected. Having a broken jaw, it had been difficult to get answers out of the injured man. Nonetheless, he had managed. He had kept the number of questions down to a minimum, putting in assumptions every now and again to see whether or not they were in fact truths. Raven had been the one to be attacked and the changeling had only arrived later, as he had suspected. From there, he deduced that Beast Boy had to have gotten a tip somehow about the whole event, otherwise his appearance would have been far too much of a coincidence. He had asked the culprit if others outside of himself had known about his activities, to which the man nodded. Knowing that it was, to some extent, possible to talk with a broken jaw, he pressed as to the whereabouts of his accomplices. That was how he had found out where to go.

Something still troubled him in the back of his mind, however. Why would the man so easily give up such information? Usually, partners were not as willing to give up specifics as this man had. There was still a piece missing from the puzzle, and he intended to find out the answer. The uninjured people he sought would hopefully provide him with the facts that he lacked right then, if he could get there in time. If they were to see a news station broadcasting the recent arrest, they would most certainly flee. The masked Titan hoped to avoid any unnecessary searching, having already put in quite a bit of work on this case.

Gritting his teeth in anxiousness, he caused the engine to let out a low roar as it once again picked up speed. The clock was ticking.

Fortunately, the rundown building soon came into view. As he drew closer, it seemed that he had made it in time, seeing as how there was a light flickering dimly in one of the windows. That had to be where they were hiding out. He forced the R-cycle into an abrupt halt, just far enough away so that the sound of the engine would not alert the people he was seeking out. Hopping off of the machine, he covered the rest of the distance in many quick strides, only slowing down when he was a few feet away from the door.

Leaning in close, he waited to see if he could hear any voices from within before he made his presence known.

The talking was all done in low tones, as though they were starting to be far more cautious about who could be listening in. There was also a lot of shuffling around, and by the sound of it, all of the footsteps sounded rushed. Focusing more, the leader of the Titans thought that he could make out the muffled sound of a television. The news must have just reached them recently, otherwise they would have been long gone by then. Hearing a few louder voices, he could tell that they were all male.

"_Wait a minute,_" Robin thought to himself, "_I've heard those voices before..._"

Casting one last glance behind him, he noticed that the authorities had also arrived in order to make any other arrests that were deemed necessary. With that done, he turned back around and took a few steps. One firm kick and the door would go crashing down, and hopefully, the end of the case would be even more within sight.

One, two, three... There was a sudden thud as the door fell to the inside, revealing the room's several occupants.

–

Two of the Teen Titans lay unmoving atop two beds in the medical room, or what acted as the medical room in the tower. Both seemed unconscious and each had another teammate standing beside their bedside, bandages and other supplies nearby. The changeling stayed where Cyborg had placed him on the white sheets, but the empath was floating a few inches above her bed.

"She went into the trance when we were half of the way home," the Tamaranian informed her only conscious friend that was in the room.

"We still need to finish cleaning up the gashes," the male Titan answered, beginning to carefully set about his work on Beast Boy's injuries to his left side. Their work was almost done. All that was left was to lay gauze over the wounds and bandage them.

"They will be okay," the redhead began with evident concern and hesitation, "right?" As she was speaking, she was laying some clean gauze gingerly over one of her friend's injuries before moving to do the same to the matching one on the other side.

"'Course, Star," the partially mechanical male answered, still tending to the shape-shifter's deep gash. His back was to the alien girl and a dividing curtain was also between them, so she could not have seen the worried expression that had crossed his features. In all truth, it was more for the empath than his friend that lay in front of him. Beast Boy may have been exhausted and lost blood, but Raven had appeared to have lost more.

"She lost her consciousness right after I got there," the female stated, although she knew that Cyborg already knew that. "I should have made more with the haste," she continued, finishing with the gauze as well as spreading a layer of ointment over the less serious cut across the unconscious girl's stomach.

"Don't blame yourself," the other responded, starting to wrap the bandages around his friend's form, being careful not to jar him too much.

The Tamaranian sighed aloud, starting to apply the bandages as she did so. It was a bit easier for her since Raven's body was not directly in contact with the bed. "I know I should not, but it is difficult," she voiced, tone expressing the concern that was also written across her features.

There was silence between them for a few moments as they continued tending to their friends' wounds, but this only served to make the two of them even more tense. It was obvious that both were worried, as it was something that went without saying. No words seemed appropriate right then, so neither spoke until finished.

Setting the unused bandages and gauze aside, the male Titan stood back to look over his work, making sure that there was nothing else that needed done for now. Turning slightly, he asked, "All done?"

"Yes," the redhead murmured just loud enough for him to hear before setting the medical supplies she had been using on a nearby tray. Looking up at the sound of the curtain being pulled back, she met the other's gaze for a brief moment before moving to lean up against the wall, situating herself so that she could easily see both of her unconscious teammates. "When do you think they will awaken?", she asked softly after another few minutes of quiet.

"I don't know," came his honest reply as he cast his line of vision toward the beeping machines, not to mention the several other machines and monitors that were lined up against the wall behind the two beds. "I mean, Raven's body needs to work to replenish the blood she lost, and by the looks of it, it was more than a few pints. BB may not have lost as much, but by lookin' at him, he seems to have over exerted himself."

Shifting her emerald eyes more toward the changeling, Starfire questioned, "How are we to know that he did this?"

"His skin is paler than normal and he has dark circles under his eyes, which means he either had little sleep or that he didn't sleep well," Cyborg started as he moved to stand beside the conscious female Titan. "All we know is that he left before we got up. He probably hasn't eaten anything since then, and the kitchen area didn't look as though it had been used much afterward, so I doubt he even ate breakfast," he continued, arms crossed in front of his chest.

"This is true," she responded, still looking very troubled by the whole situation. "Perhaps, then, I should retrieve some nourishment for when they awaken?"

Turning his head to look over toward her, the partially robotic male nodded. "That would be good, Star," he affirmed, beginning to walk back toward the unconscious shape-shifter, "but only clear liquids."

Starfire had already started for the door but stopped to glance back at the other Titan. "What is it that you are doing?"

Bent over his green friend, he answered, "The talk about food reminded me..." As he was speaking, he carefully forced Beast Boy's mouth open in order to look inside for a few moments. After that, he opened one of the other's eyelids. "I'm checking to see if he's dehydrated," he continued, gently pinching some of the green skin on the Titan's right forearm.

Hearing this, the Tamaranian worried her lip slightly as she turned to walk out of the door. "I shall be right back," she informed him before exiting.

–

Starfire returned a short while later, carrying several bottles of clear liquids in her arms. When she walked in, she noticed that the changeling had an IV in his right arm and that Cyborg had moved onto checking both of their vital signs. Wordlessly, she walked over to the tray beside Raven's bed and put down all of the bottles before turning to glance back at the male Titan. "What are you doing now?", she asked calmly, although her facial expression betrayed her tone slightly.

"He's dehydrated," the other explained, gaze still fixed on several of the monitors he was currently standing in front of. "Since he is unable to drink anything, I needed to get fluids in him with an IV."

The alien female turned fully, nodding as a way to show that she understood what he had meant. "He will not need any other fluids then, correct?", she questioned, beginning to move away from the empath's bedside in order to walk around toward her partially mechanical teammate.

"Nope," came his answer, turning around to face her. "Whenever he wakes up, we'll know if he can stomach anything else or not," he continued, moving to once again lean against one of the room's walls.

"So," she began, scuffing the front of her shoe slightly against the floor as if hoping too much by what she was about to say, "he will wake up then?"

"Yeah," Cyborg responded with certainty in his voice. "I looked over both of their brain waves when you were gone. He's no longer unconscious, just in a state of exhaustion. I didn't notice earlier because it was more important to make sure he was breathing and to fix up the wound so that he didn't bleed anymore."

"How long until he wakes up?", she asked, peering over toward where the green Titan was laying. "Soon?"

"Dunno, Star, but probably by tomorrow morning," he replied, once again crossing his arms in front of his chest.

"And Raven?", she pressed, concern switching from one friend to the other.

"Her brain waves show that she is somewhere between unconsciousness and sleep, but she should wake up around the same time as BB," her male teammate answered, eyes watching her as the Tamaranian came to stand beside him. "Heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration have pretty much returned to normal for both of them, so I think we're in the clear for now," he finished, letting the information help to calm his nerves.

"Even Raven's blood pressure?", she inquired, a bit uncertain.

"Well, no," Cyborg responded, "but it is rising at a good rate."

Starfire nodded, choosing to take a seat on the rather cold floor and watch her friends from that position. After a few moments, she decided to change the topic, "Have you heard from Robin?"

"Only long enough to know that he'll be back soon," the partially mechanical male stated, exhaling a sigh as he did so. "He said he had to question a few people."

"At least the badness should stop now," she commented, hugging her legs close to her chest.

"Yeah," he agreed, changing his line of vision to look down at her. When he spoke again, he had changed the subject back to their two injured teammates. "Ya know, even if they're stable, we'll still need to watch them for any changes."

"Should we then do the taking of the shifts?", the alien female asked, head tilted slightly to one side as she awaited his answer.

"That's probably best," he nodded, looking back up at the figures lying on the beds. "I'll take the first shift if you want to go and wait for Robin."

"Alright," she consented, rising back to her feet and once again making her way over the door. "I will take the second shift," Starfire said before leaving the room to go await the masked Titan's arrival on his R-cycle.

–

The engine slowly quieted as the Boy Wonder parked his vehicle and turned off the machine, thankful to finally return home for the night. After turning off the headlight, he dismounted the bike and pulled off his helmet, shaking his head a few times as if to move his hair back into its usual style. Placing the helmet on top of the R-cycle, he turned to head inside the main part of the tower, only to stop short when he heard footsteps moving his way.

"Robin," a familiar voice addressed him, coming closer in the dim light, "I am glad that you have returned."

He approached the female Titan so that they met about halfway. "Starfire," he started with a slight note of confusion in his voice, "why are you down here?" It was then that he took note of the fact that her eyes and the skin around her eyes were all slightly red, but he credited this to her being tired and possibly rubbing her eyes. There was a part of him that knew otherwise, but he did not want to see her upset.

"I was waiting for you since Cyborg is watching over our injured friends," she explained, facial expression noticeably downcast. "Tell me," she continued, "have you acquired any new information?"

"Yes," he responded, shifting his weight mostly onto his right foot as if expecting to stand in that place for at least a few more moments. "I tracked down his accomplices since he had a hard enough time talking with that broken jaw," the masked Titan continued, his tone cold as he recalled the men who had been behind that door. "It seems that the actual murderer was only their pawn."

"But he caused all of the badness, yes?", the Tamaranian questioned, tilting her head to the side.

"He did, but they put him up to it," Robin answered, crossing his arms in front of himself. "According to them, the serial killer has a mental disorder. They said he had more than one personality (1), the one who murdered and the one who they admitted to pushing around to get what they wanted."

"Oh," was all she said, not sure what else would be appropriate to say in response to the information that he had told her.

"The authorities have to bring in someone to confirm his psychological state, so we won't know anymore until then," the leader of the Titans informed her, his tone only a bit less tense than it had been before. "I recognized those men, though. We've arrested them before," as he was speaking his left hand balled up into a tight fist, "To think that all of those murders were because of their petty revenge..." His whole form appeared rigid by the time he finished speaking.

Starfire had heard what the other was saying, despite the fact that she did not reply or acknowledge that she had been listening. Her head was hung low and her red bangs hid most of her features from view.

Upon calming down a few moments later, Robin noticed the posture of his female teammate and ventured to ask, "How are Raven and Beast Boy?"

She did not answer verbally. Instead, she wordlessly took a few steps forward and moved to lean into him, her head resting against his shoulder (2).

In response, he brought his arms up to embrace her as well as offer her some form of comfort. "Starfire," he started in a softer tone, "how are they?" He did not necessarily want to upset her more, but he was worried about his friends.

"They are... doing better," she said quietly, leaning into him a bit more.

It was obvious that there was still something that she was holding in, seeing how he could feel how tense her entire form was. He tightened his arms around her slightly as he turned his head to look toward her, worry written on his features. "What's wrong?", he questioned, although he had a good feeling that he already know the answer.

Tears slid out from underneath her eyelids, shortly coming in contact with the material of his cape. He may not have been able to feel that she was crying, but it soon became evident in her voice. "He... almost took our friends... away...," she choked out, her body trembling slightly from her acceptance of such a fact.

"I know," were the only words that he could think to say to her right then. Slowly, as though uncertain of how she would react, he began to rub one of his gloved hands against her back, trying to soothe and comfort her. "... but he did not succeed," he added, trying to remind her of the positive side even if it was a bit hard for him to see at that moment.

Her muscles seemed to relax a little when she felt him rubbing her back, and after a few more seconds, her tears stopped flowing and she pulled her face away from his shoulder. At his words, she nodded and a slight smile appeared across her tear streaked features as she turned to face him. "Yes," she agreed, "and for that I am most thankful."

Offering her a similar smile, he gently released her from his grip and made a brief motion toward the door that led to the rest of the tower. "Why don't we go and see how they're doing?", he asked, personally wanting to check on his friends.

In response, she gave him an affirmative nod before following him, wiping the drying tears from her cheeks as she did so.

–

Somewhere in the distance she could make out the sound of a persistent beeping. "_Not another mission,_" she groaned inwardly. However, that thought did not last long, as she soon became aware of the presence of pain around her stomach area.

"_Wait,_" she thought as her eyes fluttered open and she found herself staring up at a somewhat familiar ceiling. She sat up slowly and reached up to gently rub her left temple, trying to remember where she was and what had happened. Looking down at herself, she noticed the bandages that were wrapped around most of her stomach and sides, not to mention the dulling pain that she could feel underneath them.

The memories of what she thought to be the previous night came flooding back to her, causing her to suppress a noticeable shudder at what _could _have happened...

In an attempt to drive these thoughts from her mind, she cast her violet gaze to one side and noticed the several bottles of water and other clear fluids that Starfire had set out for her. Come to think of it, her stomach was rather queasy but she was also thirsty... Barely hesitating, she reached out and took hold of one. As she did this, she noticed that there was light coming in from a nearby window, so it had to be at least the following morning.

After taking a few sips, she let out an audible sigh as she replaced the bottle, thoughts still wondering over the whole situation. Her major concern was that she did not know what had happened to_ him_. "Beast Boy...," she murmured aloud, placing her head in her hands.

"What?", came a familiar voice from several feet away, although it sounded less energetic than usual.

Blinking in surprise at having received an answer, she turned her head as quickly as she dared, staring at the dividing curtain. Wordlessly, she peeled off any wires and whatnot that had been used to monitor her brain waves and carefully rose from her bed. Taking it slow, as to not reopen any of her wounds, she walked toward the sound of the voice, soon pulling back the curtain.

Raven found the changeling sitting up in his own bed, a bowl of cooling broth in his hands. His gaze was focused on her, though, even as he moved to set the warm liquid aside for a later time.

"You finally woke up," he said, smiling at seeing her standing there. However, that expression soon changed to one of worry. "... but... should you be moving around?"

"I'm fine," she answered, hesitating for only a moment before moving to take a seat on the end of his bed. "How're you?", the girl questioned, as though searching for an appropriate topic of conversation.

"Exhausted," the shape-shifter replied honestly, a lopsided grin partially in place on his lips. Silence reigned for several moments after that, with him watching her while she looked straight ahead. He let this continue, not wanting to disturb her and thereby possibly upset her right after she woke up.

Unnoticeably, she fidgeted slightly with her hands in her lap as she sat near him. She was not sure what to say or how to even broach the subject that was currently on her mind. At the very least, she was content with knowing that he would be okay and those feelings appeared to be mutual by the worry he had shown for her. Straightening up a bit, she braced herself and ventured, "Did you mean it?"

"Mean what?", he responded, unsure of what she was talking about. The green Titan studied the expression on her face but found it to be more or less unreadable, although she did seem a bit more tense than before.

"What you told me last night," she elaborated easily enough, although she herself had not felt too confident with saying it.

At hearing her answer, Beast Boy found himself once again smiling in an almost characteristic way. Before speaking, he carefully shifted his position so that he was sitting beside her, although he did leave enough space between them so that she did not feel uncomfortable. "'Course," he finally spoke up, still watching for any reaction from the empath, but he was not expecting what came next.

Without saying a word, Raven leaned against him, head resting on his shoulder. "Good," she said, her eyes partway closed.

He forced himself not to stiffen from the surprise he felt, but he could not stop the blush that suddenly found its way to his cheeks. "I-I... th-thought...," he began, stuttering slightly over the two words.

"That I'd reject you?", she finished for him, tone pretty close to the one she usually used. "I only did that because–..."

"Last time was so painful," he chose to cut her off this time, fixing his gaze straight ahead. There was once again silence for several moments before he chose to add, "I understand."

Taking solace in those words for a few minutes, she contemplated whether or not to tell him how she also felt the same way. She knew that somewhere in her mind Love was cheering her on. Just like her to do that, too. Upon exhaling, she started softly, "Beast Boy, there's something that I should tell you..."

"I...," he began, "already know." As he was speaking, he gently placed an arm around her, being careful of her wounds. Then, he waited for her reaction.

Instead of pulling away like he was nervous she would do, Raven leaned against him a bit more, although she said nothing about it. When she did speak again, she had changed the topic. "How did you know where to come last night?"

He blinked at her question and thought for a moment, still looking across the room from where they were sitting. "I kind of overheard a conversation by some guys who knew what was going on. I knew where you were patrolling, so that part was easy," he finished, thinking that his answer had been sufficient.

"You changed," she stated, referring to the fact that he had initially entered the scene as a jaguar. "How?"

"Dunno," came his honest answer, scratching his head with his free hand. "All I remember is that I had to get him away from you. That's it." When she did not respond after that, he went on to ask, "How did he get you?"

She seemed to almost wince at the thought of how the whole situation began, but she did owe him an answer. "I couldn't use my powers, so I was an easy target," the empath explained, eyes closing all the way when she spoke.

"You used them later, though," he pointed out, a bit confused by what she had said.

"For the same reason that you could use yours," she elaborated further but then left it at that, as though the rest was obvious. Again, there was silence.

"So...," the shape-shifter started, swinging his legs slightly from where they dangled against the side of the bed, "I guess all that's left is to tell the others."

A barely noticeable smile tugged at the corners of the female's lips before she replied, "That can be your job."

"Heheh," Beast Boy laughed uneasily, one arm behind his head as a nervous grin became plastered across his features, "thanks."

–

Note: That's the last chapter! Now, only the epilogue is left... What do you all think? I worked hard on this one and suffered from major writer's block. I added in the little Robin and Starfire moment at the last minute before I got to that point, and I hope the interaction between BB and Rae was to your liking. Also, all the medical information and whatnot is accurate. (I asked my aunt who is a nurse.)

(1) A vague description of Dissociative Identity Disorder

(2) I'm assuming that Robin had probably grown at least a few inches within the past few years, so he's probably at least as tall as Starfire...

**WickedWitchoftheSE**: After coming this far, I don't think I could make myself tear them apart. Thank you so much for the review!

**Tammy Tamborine**: Glad you thought so, and I hope this chapter was worth the wait, too. Thanks for the review!

**SxStrngSamurai13**: I did mention that BB was training more (at Raven's suggestion), but his adrenaline was also pumping, so that added to whatever physical strength he already had. It took me awhile to like the interactions between the two during the parts of the scene they shared. I was getting rather picky... but it seems like it paid off, hopefully. Those lines they shared was a coincidence which ended up working out quite well in the end. Glad you liked it! Thank you so much for your review!

Note: Please R&R! (Three more reviews before the epilogue, okay?)


	12. Epilogue

Disclaimer: For the last time, I don't own Teen Titans!

Note: Here it is, the epilogue and the last part to my story... Hope it is to your liking and was worth the wait!

**Epilogue: Payback**

It had been just over a week since the empath had been attacked, and things were starting to return to normal. However, the case was not yet finished. They were still waiting on the local justice system to come through with a trial, seeing as there had been a hold up on the arrested culprit. With his injuries still healing, it made it difficult for him to be tested for any suspected mental disorders, so they had to wait until he was able to be fairly tested. Despite that, the accomplices had been interrogated and were already feeling a jail sentence hovering over their heads based on Beast Boy's statement about what he had heard that night.

Within the tower, there had been a definite change as well. If the changeling and empath had ever wanted to keep their relationship a secret, it would have failed right from the start. It was a good thing they did not, seeing that Starfire happened to walk back into the medical room while Raven was still sitting atop the other's bed. She had proceeded to exclaim how glorious it was to see them together and dashed back out of the room, all before the other two Titans even had time to get a word in edgewise. There were few secrets among the five of them recently, it seemed. If two knew, then they all did. One thing was easy, though. They did not have to say anything. Starfire did the talking.

That late afternoon found the shape-shifter lounging on the couch and playing video games, with Raven reading right beside him. Somehow, she had managed to tune out the sounds of the game and seemed absorbed in whatever book was in her hands. This most likely also accounted for the fact that she was leaning her back lightly against his shoulder, despite his sudden movements every now and then due to the game.

The common room doors opened with a swishing sound as Robin and Starfire walked in, appearing as though they were looking for something. After a few moments, their eyes came to rest on the pair sitting on the large sofa.

"Friends," the Tamaranian began, hands clasped together in front of herself, "are not you accompanying us?"

Raising her violet gaze from the pages of her book in order to look toward them, the empath sat up and turned halfway in their direction. "For dinner?"

Pressing a button in order to pause the game, the green Titan also shifted his position in order to look back at them. Slapping his forehead lightly in what seemed to be realization, he exclaimed, "I -thought- that was tonight! Aw man!"

Raising an eyebrow in mild confusion, the masked Titan responded, "Is something wrong?"

"I can't go," the changeling admitted, a frown crossing his features as he spoke. Seeing that they were waiting for a good explanation, he continued, "I think I scraped the wound a bit today, eheh... So, I don't want to reopen it or anything..." When he finished, he raised his gaze to meet the eyes of his two teammates who were standing at the entrance of the room, waiting for their reactions.

An uncertain frown tainted Robin's features as he thought over what was just said, not so sure that it was the truth. Yet, he had no reason to disbelieve them, right?

Concern became present in the alien female's eyes as she asked, "Will you be alright?"

"Yeah," Beast Boy answered, a lopsided grin replacing his previous expression, "I just don't want to push it, ya know?"

Seemingly accepting the male's excuse, the leader then looked over at the cloaked female. "Raven?"

"Someone has to be here in case he does something stupid," she replied without missing a beat. Then, ignoring the mock glare she was receiving from the boy beside her, she added, "Seeing that Cyborg isn't around ."

Starfire blinked at the last part of what her fellow female Titan said. "Where is Cyborg? Is he also not joining us?"

"Apparently," Raven started as she returned her line of vision to the book in her hands, "he went over to Titans East."

"Yeah, something about them needing help with some repairs to their tower," the shape-shifter elaborated, a nervous smile still planted on his lips."You guys should still go, though," he put in quickly.

"We didn't cancel the reservations," the cloaked female informed, having yet to resume her reading.

"Oh," the redhead voiced simply before nodding in agreement. "Shall we go then, Robin?"

It was several seconds before the Boy Wonder replied, seeing as how he was turning over a few ideas in his head. There was definitely something going on, but he did not want to upset Starfire. "Yeah," he finally responded, turning to head back out the double doors after casting one last wary gaze at the two sitting on the couch.

"I hope you will soon feel better," the Tamaranian remarked before following Robin out of the room, doors closing behind her.

Beast Boy laughed aloud when he was sure the other two had left. "Phase one complete," he grinned, turning back toward the screen in front of him. Feeling the girl beside him lean against his right shoulder once again, he quieted his laughter enough to ask, "Should we get going, too?"

"No," she answered easily, still reading. "Our reservations aren't until twenty minutes after their's."

"Okay," he replied, resuming his game in the following moment. "What're you reading, anyway?", he asked in a conversational tone.

"A book," came her simple and obvious response, although there was a hint of a teasing smirk across her features.

"Couldn't tell that," he commented in a light manner. However, he said no more after that, seeing that she wanted to continue in her reading for at least a short while longer and he intended to let her.

–

The restaurant was small, but quite popular by the looks of it. One had to get reservations at least the day before to even hope about getting a table. It had both indoor and outdoor seating, the latter of which was well-liked in the current good weather. Since it was only early evening by the time the two Titans arrived, it was still quite light outside, yet they had requested a table inside when making their reservations.

"Perhaps we should see if we can get the 'doggie bag' for our friends since they were unable to accompany us," the redhead suggested as they approached the door of their destination.

"I don't think we'll need to worry about that," Robin answered before opening the door and opting to play the gentleman by holding the door open for Starfire as well.

Blinking at his response, she tilted her head to the side and responded, "But they were unable to come, why should we not?"

Before the leader could reply, they were approached by someone who appeared to be that night's host. Recognizing them immediately, he greeted cheerily, "Ah, right on time. We have the table all ready."

Nodding in a wordless acknowledgment, the two Titans followed the man to a small booth on the far side of the dining area, right beside one of the large windows. The host left them with their menus and a statement that their server would be with them shortly.

Quickly making a decision on what he wanted, the male teen lay down his menu and turned his gaze to look out the window. The Tamaranian may not have picked up on anything odd, but he had. The booth they were sitting in proved it. It was all a setup, yet he said nothing in order to not upset the girl across from him. Allowing an inaudible sigh to pass over his lips, he returned his attention to his companion, who appeared to be having a bit of trouble with her decision.

A hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. This may have been the others' idea of payback, but it was not at all that bad.

–

Replacing his glass on the table, the changeling relaxed against the back of the thinly cushioned chair, eyes never leaving the girl sitting across from him. She was quietly eating the food that had been set in front of her, taking in her surroundings every now and then. It was obvious why, though. They were seated close to the entrance of the restaurant and she was watching for when their two friends would exit, knowing it was more than likely that their leader had figured out what was going on. His back was to the doors, so she kept an eye out for the two of them.

Pushing her nearly empty plate a few inches away from her, Raven also leaned back in her chair while raising her gaze to meet his own. Finding him staring at her, she felt a faint blush taint her pale cheeks and asked, "What?"

"Nothing," he replied, smile spreading across his features without looking away.

With one eyebrow raised, she regarded him for a few seconds before repeating, "What?"

"Like I said, nothing," he reiterated, grin never leaving his lips.

"Right," she agreed mockingly, reaching for her drink in order to take a sip. However, she failed to allow the questioning gaze to leave her violet orbs.

The shape-shifter felt that she knew why he was looking at her but did not say it. It was not like her, nor did he feel that she would appreciate it if he said it aloud. That was not really the type of person she was.

"Here they come," she voiced a few moments later, causing him to turn around in his chair to look.

Sure enough, Robin and Starfire were leaving the restaurant, walking closely together. In the light from the establishment, it was still fairly easy to tell who was seated outside, despite the fact that the sun had already set. Perhaps the leader of the Titans would not have noticed the couple except for the fact that he felt two pairs of eyes on his back. Turning around, he eyed the empath and changeling with a mildly accusing gaze. This look was met with a grin and a knowing smirk.

When her companion stopped, the Tamaranian came to a halt and also turned to see what had caught his attention. "Beast Boy," she started, a confused expression in place, "I thought you were in pain."

"I got better," he answered innocently, not wanting to cause the alien girl to become upset. "... so we decided to get a bite to eat."

"Oh, that is good," she replied cheerfully, glad to hear that her friend was doing better.

"So," Raven spoke up, looking more toward Robin than her female teammate, "how was dinner?" Her tone was no different than usual, although there was a definite hint of a smirk across her features.

"It was good," the Boy Wonder responded, tone letting on that he knew that the whole thing had been planned.

"Oh yes," the redhead added in enthusiastically, "the food was most delicious!"

"And," the green Titan began in a slightly teasing tone, "the company?"

At hearing this question, both the leader and the Tamaranian blushed lightly and appeared to look nervous.

"That's what I thought," the changeling stated, not giving either one a change to verbally answer what he had asked.

Regaining his composure after a few seconds, Robin appeared to narrow his eyes beneath his mask as if wordlessly promising to return the favor. Then, he turned and started away from the restaurant, lifting a hand in departure. "See you back at the tower."

"Farewell, friends," Starfire said hurriedly before turning to follow the masked Titan.

"We're so gonna hear about this later," the shape-shifter commented as though looking forward to it.

"You do realize that he now sees this as a competition," the violet-haired girl remarked, taking another sip from the glass in her hand.

"Of course," Beast Boy answered with fervor, still grinning as he once again reclined in his seat to wait for her to finish.

–

The weather that night proved to be rather nice. There was a bit of a wind, but it was not necessarily all that chilly. It proved good enough to sit outside along the shoreline for the changeling and the empath.

For the most part, it was quiet and serene, neither feeling the need to talk much. This was usual for the female, but the other normally filled the silence with words. Somehow, though, he did not see the need right then to do so. She seemed to be enjoying herself as it was, and he did not wish to disturb her.

She shifted beside him, looking away from the water and toward him. Her white cloak was wrapped around her form to protect her against the slight wind that was blowing, but having his arm around her had helped also. Still, she was quiet for a few moments before speaking. "Thank you," she stated finally, locking gazes with him.

He blinked several times, obviously not understanding why she had said that. "Umm...," he began, one eyebrow raised, "for what?"

Without looking away, she answered honestly, "For saving me." There was a moment of silence before she added, "I never thanked you."

"Heheh," the green Titan laughed a bit nervously, his free arm behind his head. "You ended up saving me, too," he finally replied, "so... thanks."

A faint smile graced her lips but she said nothing in response, instead letting a silence settle in.

Beast Boy suddenly felt as though there were butterflies in his stomach, especially since both of them had yet to look away from the other. This was accompanied by the realization of why he felt nervous. There was a conflict occurring within him right then, over whether or not he should go ahead with that thought that was in his mind. Swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat, he leaned in closer to gently press his lips against her own, only breaking eye contact once they were already touching. It was only then that he closed his eyes.

Seeing him move nearer, Raven herself became nervous at what she knew he was doing. She remained that way until she felt the kiss actually happening, and then, only a moment later, she found herself leaning into the action as well, eyelids closing as she did so.

The couple stayed in that position for what seemed like several minutes before they both pulled back slowly, taking the time to search the other's gaze to gauge their reaction.

Noticing only softness in his green orbs, the cloaked female allowed herself another smile, only this one was more noticeable than the last. Then, wordlessly, she moved to rest her head against his shoulder, once again looking out at the mostly calm waters.

In response to her expression, he gave her a gentle grin, unlike his usual goofy ones. Thankfully, she was not upset at his actions.

That thought in mind, he then tightened his arm around her slightly before also returning to gazing at the view in front of them, content to let silence reign for the time being.

– FIN –

Note: So, that's it... –sniffles– I'm going to miss this story... I hope you enjoyed this last bit, and I deeply apologize for taking so long to update. I need opinions: Should I do a sequel or no? Also, I just wanted to let you all know that I have another fic started, and the prologue of that should be posted later this evening. (It's an AU, but the same pairing!)

**Tammy Tamborine** - Glad you thought so and glad you liked the story! Thank you so much for all of your reviews! They were always very appreciated!

**SxStrngSamurai13** - The scenes with Star and Cy did take awhile, but I'm glad they came out okay in the end. I also tried to convey that she was upset the whole time, but just did not have the chance to really show it until all of the critical moments had passed. (Oh, and don't worry about me going cliche, I try very hard not to. However, let me know if you ever think I do and I'll try to remedy it.) I'm glad you liked the part between BB and Rae, as that was obviously a crucial part to the entire fic... I'm sorry you had to wait so long for the epilogue, and thank you so much for all of your great reviews!

Note: Again, for the last time in this fic, please R&R! (Thanks to all who reviewed this story!)


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